Ross Books

Para todas las amas de casa que siempre tienen diversas ocupaciones, este es el libro ideal para cocinar rico, rápido y práctico....Saborea de estas deliciosas recetas.

y hartos de hoteles y restaurantes ( aunque los pague la empresa y sean de primera ) alquilamos un pequeño departamento en la Ciudad donde pernoctamos con más frecuencia y en la que llegamos a pasar hasta 36 horas.
Nuestra primera compra fue un servibar ( carnes frías, queso, cervezas)
La segunda, un hornito de microondas.
Y la tercera, este libro:
Nos saca de apuros, comemos caserito, nos turnamos y las recetas de este libro son MEJORES QUE LA COMIDA DEL AVIÓN Y QUE LAS DE MUCHOS RESTAURANTES DE PRIMERA !
1.- No nos quitan tiempo
2.- Conocemos PERSONALMENTE LOS INGREDIENTES y no nos tocan sobras mezcladas con la comida "para llevar "
...y podemos invitar a cualquier chava sin que tuerca el gesto a la hora de cenar...jiji

¡Y hasta para la casa, son recetas muy sabrosas, bien condimentaditas!

los chiquillos ya estaban hartos de comer sandwiches..Hasta que mi cuñada me regaló este librito.
Mi esposa, que se puso muy delicada, estuvo casi un mes en el hospital...Y creo que si no hubiera sido por este libro espléndido que incluye retas a cual más de deliciosas y simples...¡TODOS NOS HUBIÉRAMOS MUERTO DE HAMBRE !
Todavía cuando ella regresó del hospital y estuvo una semana en cama, me dí el lujo de darle la gran sorpresa de una buena comida,¡GRACIAS A ESTE LIBRO !
Se los recomiendo muchísimo, ya que mi esposa lo sigue usando...Y con resultados espléndidos!

cooking???
NOT AT ALL !!!
Tis little, useful, easy book is my LIFE SAVER !!!
Fast cooking, delicioous and uncostly !

ABSOLUTELY TRUE !
So fast, so easy, so delicious !
Try it one and you'll never leave it !
REALLY EASY AND SATISFACTORY IN YOUR TABLE AND IN YOUR PALATE!

On a rare occasion, I find a book that I just have to let others know about. Although it was written out of her life journey catalyzed by her experience with breast cancer, this magical book is an inspiration for anyone. Her words are poetic and soulful, and her doodles drew me deep inside to a very sacred, peaceful space. Regardless of what one is going through in their life, there is so much to be learned from this book - about surrender, courage, trust, and living in the moment.

This book is for all those in need of any kind of recovery. The author/artist has the ability and talent to reach into your gut and touch each and everyone of us with her undying faith, love, art form and tenderness. She has been there and back and shown that strength lies in those hidden pockets of our body and soul. An inspiration to all. A must read.

Carol's book really shows how the wisdom of a teaching is in the doing. On the surface, I first wondered at the value of her drawings, looking at them from a purely asthetical perspective. Nice and ??? But if you follow her directions, particularly for the purpose intended, as a way to still your mind and heart in difficult times, the power of the drawings is magical. And lovely to experience.

The art in this book is hypnotic and its message is uplifting. "Connections...The Sacred Journey" chronicles what everyone suspects; there is a link between mind, body and soul. Illness in one can spread to the others but wellness is equally capable of jumping the boundaries. This book is an upper for individuals experiencing a mental, physical or spiritual low and is just plain fun for everyone who has ever been fascinated with the dreamy art of doodling.

A very heart-warming, healing therapy for anyone. A true gift to help us all use uneasy waiting time in a creative way and have something to show for it.

This book is a classic for all of us who are looking for a change of pace and a better way of life. With the Virtual Office a reality, we can work virtually anywhere, so why not choose the pastoral life? We refer our readers who harbor such dreams to this book again and again. Sarah Edwards, author The Practical Dreamer's Handbook.

This is the best book of it's kind that I have read - out of about 5 or so. Written in 1997, the authors considered the Internet and telecommuting as well. And it is nearly as relevant to Australia (where I find myself) as to the USA. Easy to read, it contains many useful hints, tables, and resources. Valuable questionaires and lists. What you should and what you shouldn't. What you need, and what you don't. Even so, we also had a "First Try". But nothing ventured is nothing learned.

Your book is well informed and plenty of resource that gave me more confidence. Reread it few times. I really enjoy reading it very much. Thanks

As the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Partnership for Economic Development, your book has become a major source of reference.

If you have been dreaming of moving to the country, but don't know if you can really do it successfully, Country Bound! is a great resource. The Rosses lay all their personal experience on the line, frankly and comprehensively. They help you ask yourself the "nitty-gritty" questions that you MUST consider before making such a big life change. The book's separate sections on lifestyle and business considerations help you break down the decision into manageable pieces. The many quizzes and activities are fun as well as eye-opening, and the writing style makes it a quick, enjoyable read. One reading may not be enough, however! There's so much good information here, you will want to review many sections over and over!

1970's "The Crofter and the Laird" is John McPhee's graceful account of an extended stay on the Scottish island of Colonsay, ancestral home to his clan and a living fragment of an almost feudal lifestyle in the 20th Century.

Author John McPhee is rightly known for his keen observation, his simple but highly descriptive prose, and his ability to capture a sense of place. These skills are very evident in his clear-eyed yet sympathetic narrative of a vanishing culture in the Hebrides. The residents work small crofts, or rented farms, for a thin but apparently rewarding living in the solitude of a remote and beautiful island. The laird, owner of the island, lives in England but visits every summer. The crofters and the laird are enmeshed in an ancient legal tradition of mutual obligation, an anachronism which neither party was quite yet prepared to give up when McPhee stayed on Colonsay.

Colonsay's culture sits on a couple of millennia of history contributed by Picts, Celts, Scots, Vikings, and others. Some of the best parts of McPhee's narrative are his observations of the ancient remnants, such as ruined chapels, and the myths, stories, and customs forwarded by the islanders. Every physical feature on the island seems to have a name and a story.

The center of McPhee's narrative is his host on the island, one Donald McNeill, who pursues a variety of vocations to feed his family and make a living, and who provides insight into a close-knit society that regards "incomers" with some suspicion. McNeill is entirely comfortable in his life, appreciative of his family's long continuity on the island, yet honest about the hard work required by what is nearly subsistance living.

This book is highly recommended as a fascinating and enjoyable read on a small fragment of a vanishing island culture in a place time seemed almost to have forgotten.

The finely detailed observations and vivid turn-of-words which we have come to know so well from McPhee's books on North America and its geological history, is applied here with great skill in this look at the tiny Scottish island of Colonsay and its inhabitants. The small population of under 150 people can trace ancestry to two castes or clans. Most are crofters or farmers. Some are true islanders with family roots going back hundreds of years; others are "incomers". It's not a derogatory term but simply another social distinction. Then there's THE CROFTER AND THE LAIRD. McPhee offers a distillation of this social concoction. "The usual frictions, gossip, and intense social espionage that characterize life in a small town are so grandly magnified...everyone is many things to everyone else, and is encountered daily in a dozen guises. Enmeshed together, the people of the island become one another. Friend and enemy dwell in the same skin."

McPhee deals with his usual areas of interest such as the environmental past of the island, but its the people that fascinate him. Here it's also a little closer to home as Colonsay is the home of McPhee's ancestors. The book is as much a narrative of the strife torn history of clans as it is one Americans' exploration of the "sentimental myth" that he attaches to his Scottish surname. McPhee quickly sees that, rather than myth, the clan is as real to Scots as it ever was. This is only amplified in a feudal and cloistered social setting such as on Colonsay.

The McPhee's (or Macafee, MacPhee, Macheffie, or MacDuffie, as the various septs are known) are part of the ancient clan MacFie. They're Celtic, and the Gaelic origin of the name means "son of the Dark Fairy or Elf". Such fairy-tale-like legends seem incongruous when set against the treacherous and bloody reality of clan history. The McPhee's are a "broken clan", the last chieftan was murdered by the MacDonald's in the 17th century. The MacDonald's however got their comeuppance in the way of the clans. A group of MacDonald's were butchered in their sleep by the Campbell's of Argyll in the Glencoe Massacre of 1692.

And just to show that clan history dies very hard, many Scots, even until today, when pressed just a little bit can usually find something uncharitable to say about my Campbell clan. Time and geographical distance may make the clans of only historical interest to McPhee, myself, and other North Americans with Scots ancestors. In Scotland it's a lot more real and present, and this wonderful book gives us a slice of that life.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing and light but great in detail. John McPhee explains his move from the U.S. with his wife and 4 daughters back to his Great Grandfather's ancestral home on the island of Colonsay in the Hebrides of Scotland. The population is around 150 and he learns all about the small town life in a feudal environment. McPhee talks about everything from farmers, crofters, and general laborers and their daily lives on the island. He also shifts from what he sees and experiences with first person gossip and comments from the islanders to stories and legends from the island's and his clan's past.

All the islanders talk of the Laird Strathcona who owns everything. Then John meets him and sees he is just a minor peer in the Scottish Court and more of a landlord trying to bring the island of Colonsay a little out of the past. The book is lightly sprinkled with simple sketches of the island which brings everything together.

A really enjoyable read for anyone with Scottish roots or just interested in Scottish life and history. Not everyone is descended from Scottish Kings and famous knights. Most of us are of the poorer stock like those portrayed in this book. I am even more proud of them now.

THE BOOK HELP INSPIRE ME, MY SON, AND BROTHER TO GO TO COLONSAY IN THE SPRING OF 1998. MOST OF THE PEOPLE YOU WROTE ABOUT ARE DEAD. HOWEVER CHARLIE MCKINNON AND HIS WIFE, GIBBIE MCNEIL, KEITH RUTHERFORD, AND A FEW MORE ARE STILL LIVING. I HAVE WRITTEN AN ACCOUNT OF MY VISIT AND WILL MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO THE AUTHOR IS HE WISHES. LAN NA LEF. JERRY D. MCAFEE

My family also originates on Colonsay, and we go back to visit occasionally. We were asked if we were related to John McPhee, because our name is McAfee. We were told that it was a good thing we weren't, because John had given away more secrets than the islanders thought wise. They told us that if he ever returned he would not make it off the ferry onto the dock. This is a great book and should be read and appreciated by all.

Just a comment related to previous reviews: a) this is not a novel but a true story, and b) it is not really about Canada, since New Foundland was not part of Canada at the time. But it is an incredible story about a family blown apart by WWI. The documentary video is also great, but hard to find.

I don't have a lot of time to write reviews, and I don't often write them, but I enjoyed this book so thoroughly that I'm sad to be finished reading it. It's one of the best memoirs I've ever read, though it's not really a memoir. One of the best family history books I've ever read, and yet it isn't that either. It is hands-down my favorite book about Newfoundland that I've read, though there are many more I want to read. Macfarlane is a masterful writer, and his work is filled with insight, thoughtfulness about the past, dead ancestors, and what they mean to those of us still living, even if we'd never met them. Though I'm wary of reviews that say things like this, he really does, quite improbably, tell a compelling story of Newfoundland itself through the story of his ancestors. The book somehow never descends into the maudlin or sentimental; it's quite a clear-eyed view of the meaning of World War I for Newfoundland and for the Goodyear family. The ending was striking--I'll probably never forget the image he painted on the last page. Loved it from start to finish.

I am ashamed to say that although I have lived in Canada for 37 years, I knew nothing about Newfoundland's history and consequently nothing about Newfoundland's participation in the First World War. A university lecturer recommended this book to me, and I heartily recommend it to anyone with an interest in the First World War (and in Newfoundland, more broadly). It is a beautifully written, poignant book which compares favourably with Robert Graves' Goodbye to All That and in some ways is better than Graves; it has none of Graves' cynicism.

This book inspired me to visit Beaumont Hamel on the Somme, where so many men from Newfoundland lost their lives on 1 July 1916. In the rest of Canada, 1 July is considered a day for celebration, because the country came into being on that date in 1867. Now I understand why Newfoundlanders cannot and will not celebrate 1 July as a holiday. For them, it is a day of mourning.

Ironically, for us on the west coast of Canada, Beaumont Hamel is easier to reach than Newfoundland. Having visited the former, I hope one day to visit the latter.

This is a great novel about how a war can affect a family, the family business and the province for many years after the war. Before WWI Newfoundland was a the oldest and thriving member of the British Empire (they joined Canada in 1949). When they were called to war they sent their best sons, and they sent all of them. In one battle on July 1st, the Royal Nlfd Regiment was almost completely wiped out. This has effected the economy and liveihood of the island for years. The RNR monuments of a bellowing caribou on the battlefields of France are a testiment of their valour. While the rest of Canada celebrates Canada Day on July 1st, to the Newfoundlanders it is a day of mourning and rememberance the RNR and the sacrafices they made. This book is a great testimony to the brave Newfoundlanders and their families during that time.

This is an amazing book: history, biography, auto-biograhy, philosphy all combined into a powerful tale of family character (and characters)that stays with you. In essence, a simple reflection on long past lives from a little corner of the world, Newfoundland, all wound up in the Great War, it becomes a haunting tour-de-force of the power of great events on everyday people.

The chapter "Fire" is in itself a small masterpiece and one I find reading again and again even now two years after the first read.

I picked this book up by sheer accident in a small bookstore in Banff and have been thankful for my good fortune of discovering this gem.

Through the twisted mazes of a conspiracy so dark and disturbing this writer can only give us glimpses. Mr. Ross has created the start to what promises to be a great series of novels. Dealing with assassinations and conspiracies, brainwashing and secret research bases we readers are taken on an amazing journey.

From the intrigue of secret government agents tracking the masterminds behind the insidious plot to the fast paced adventure of prisoners escaping a demented military warden Darkness Within keeps you constantly guessing. Right up to the thrilling cliffhanger ending that leaves you wanting for more this novel is guaranteed to beg for a second reading.

Of the three times I've read the book I've found something new and exciting with each reading. Packed full of allusion and foreshadowing there are clues aplenty for the mystery reader in all of us. This book is hard to classify into one genre because it masterfully transcends formulaic bestsellers that dominate bookstores. Mr. Ross has given notice to writers and readers everywhere to expect more from what we read. Instead of taking 400-800 pages to tell this diverse and complex story he has done the same job with less. A brilliant touch has been added to the editing of this book in how quickly we can care about the characters and still move along with the story at a breakneck pace without turning off the reader.

Many prolific writers could take some notes from this book and the way this writer has crafted the story and the manner in which he tells it.

A title can say so much about a book and with Darkness Within you don't understand how true that can be until you've reached the end. The title explores so many aspects that are contemplated in the book you don't see the complexity of it until the end. In retrospection you start to see the darkness which is a part of many of the characters and in fact the world itself.

Each of the characters in this book are complex people who are thrown into strange and terrifying circumstances. They must fight the darkness within, the fear of the unknown, rejection, death, love, and hate. There are so many different levels that each of the characters much overcome and fight both the darkness within and the darkness which is being released upon the world.

At the heart of this complex story is a conspiracy, which we only get glimpses. This novel is almost written as a set of different stories all wrapped up into one book. As you progress you learn how each of these stories and characters bring you to a better understanding of what is going on. This book works on many different levels and as such has something for everyone.

The some of the more graphic and downright brutal scenes in the book may put some off. Though it is worthy to note how well this writer is able to still handle the most revolting of situations with a sense of style.

The only drawback in this book is there are some editorial and printing mistakes which are common on the first run printing of a book. Though many writers rarely become recognized until there are subsequent printings of the book so we readers don't usually see these. Don't be put off, this is an exciting book full of mysterious and interesting characters

Stephen King had better be on his toes. Newcomer J Marcus has a twisted dark side that propels this mixed genre novel. Sometimes an action adventure yet steeped in conspiracy this book will take you to the shadowy side of our world. You may not even get the chance to return as the each chapter builds upon the last with a complex set of characters all strangely intertwined.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the strong female character. These women are strong and powerful nearly overshadowing their male counterparts. A friend of mine just completed the book and we have been arguing over who our favorite female character is in the book.

This book is tightly written so every page if not every word paints a wonderful backdrop for the story and keeps it moving along. For an emerging writer I would say this author has found an incredible way of telling a story. This thrilling story will at time chill you to the core and some of the scenes are very shocking.

And don�t believe the synopsis of the book. It simply doesn�t do it justice. There is so much more to this story than the back cover leads you to believe.

Amazing stuff. Darkness Within by J. Marcus Ross reaches into that dark shadowy world where nightmares are made and tells a great story of suspense, intrigue, and action. Telling the story of a conspiracy that keeps shifting and moving. Just when you think you have it all figured out it shifts again and moves just beyond your grasp. From the first page to the last the story keeps moving and then you get to the end when...Oh, wait I can't tell you what happens.

The second reading of the book is almost more enjoyable than the first. Packed full of clues, as you go back through you find hidden innuendoes which explain even more of what is going on. Prepared to be terrified indeed.

There are thousands of books to buy on any given day you go to a bookstore. Ask for Darkness Within, you will be happy you did. Dark, disturbing, this book will draw you in. Don't miss out. I can't wait to see the movie version.

Best Buy. Genau die Praesentation der Radiologische Anatomie, die man am Monitor braucht. Die Qualitaet der Bilder: superb. Besser organisiert als vergleichbare Buecher (z. B.: Anatomy in Diagnostic Imaging von Fleckenstein), damit wird die radiologische (Neuro - ) Anatomie lernbar / verstehbar. Prometheus und Sobotta sind ab sofort für den Radiologen nur noch zweite und dritte Wahl, das Nachschlagen dort dauert einfach zu lange und die benoetigte Information ist fast immer nicht so, wie man Sie braucht. Amirsys ist vollstaendig, der Aufbau des Buches ist zeitsparend organisiert, und gerade für den radiologischen Anfaenger geht der Weg zur Diagnose über die Anatomie. Also: Bitte Kaufen, Lernen, Anwenden. Danke. - - - - - This beautifully arranged textbook with its cutting-edge imaging, featuring multidetector row CT and 3T MRI sure is going to be your fully comprehensive insurance in your clinical / radiological allday-life. Exactly the kind of useful key-images you need to have, every area of the brain is shown in its full depth - without being boring or being out of all reason. The very fact that the section on the Cranial Nerves alone takes 88 beautifully illustrated pages with superior quality MRT / CT imaging, reveals how much in-depth-information you get. Nevertheless, the book is concisely arranged. The section on Myelography could be more pictured and precise, if you are asking for the few mistakes. So please: Buy, Read, Apply. Thank You.

A doctor who practices a medicine for head and neck, oral and maxillofacial region would be encouraged to have and read this book for better care of patients

This series of anatomy texts has no peer. Each section outlines the key facts, presents superbly executed graphics in explanation, then proceeds to meticulously demonstrate the fine details and subtleties of imaging anatomy using well-labelled and captioned images from every imaging modality ---from plain radiographs through ultrasound, CT, MR, scintigraphy, and even PET.

Admittedly the three volumes will set you back nearly a $1,000 if you get the e-book option (very worthwhile to avoid lugging the set back and forth from home to work), but nothing else comes close to such completeness and quality.

This is one of the best Radiology textbooks I have ever seen. It is brilliant!

This book is exceptional. The cross-sectional CT, MR, and volume rendered images are great! Structures are clearly, but unobtrusively labeled. Probably the best quality of this book is its repetitive nature. The reader is presented with multiple similar (though not identical) images of the same structure from different vantage points, throughout the book- quite helpful when one tries to integrate 2 dimensional data into a 3D frame of reference. I'm glad that I bought it and I would do so again. I believe in full disclosure- the only slight disadvantage is the cost, which is fairly pricey- but I believe it was DEFINITELY worth it. While Netter's work can never be duplicated, this book surpasses what a radiologist can glean from a basic anatomy book.

The end, on post-production, is priceless. Especially the material about adding the score. But I think Louis B. Mayer comes out as the true hero, because of his skill at balancing commercial and artistic considerations.

Lillian Ross's books "Picture" and "Portrait of Hemingway" were listed as two of the top 100 best-of-the-century works of Journalism compiled by 36 judges working under the aegis of New York University.

Lillian Ross made her name with this New Yorker series about a half century ago. It was startling in its cynical and very humerous view of the self important and self delusional power players at MGM. With all that we have learned about this industry during the intervening 50 years the story has lost much of its potency, but is still a classic of the genre.

I read it in its original form all those years ago. It was a wonderful and hilarious read. But the protagonists, of course, were extremely upset and hated it. Happily,Lillian has survived; still writing for New Yorker.

Lillian Ross has given movie fans and those with a serious interest in film an extraordinary book about the final days of the studio system--and shows exactly why it collapsed. A few years later the independent film-maker emerged, and another book details that experience. Interestingly enough, both books deal with Audie Murphy. Like the Ross book, A THINKER'S DAMN by William Russo recounts the foibles of movie-making, this time in Saigon with Joe Mankiewicz in 1957. Each provides a timeless impression of a bygone movie era.

Lillian Ross, a writer for the New Yorker, heads to Hollywood in 1950 to watch John Huston make his next picture, "The Red Badge of Courage" at MGM, and manages to capture a horrifying snapshot of the studio system at its worst during a difficult time of transition for the film industry. She happens to be on hand to see Louis B. Mayer forced out and Dore Schary installed as studio head while the film is in mid-production. There are several scenes of Huston grinning and bearing it as Schary pompously lectures the great director of "The Maltese Falcon," "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "The African Queen" on how to make a movie. Schary pompously cites how he "solved story problems" in several of his own stodgy, now-forgotten pet projects as producer, like "The Next Voice You Hear." In one hillarious scene we see Arthur Freed, MGM's great producer of musicals, playing yes-man to Schary, and we glean, perhaps, how Freed, by appeasing the new boss, managed to keep some autonomy for his own expensive production unit through much of Schary's cost-cutting reign.

Then come the ill-conceived (or deliberately rigged) sneak previews. This serious war drama is screened at a local theater for an audience that came to see a Ginger Rogers romantic comedy, and the audience response is... (surprise!) vociferously negative. They find the film depressing, and many walk out. The old adage that new executives try to kill the projects put into the works by their predecessors may apply. Schary uses these preview results to justify having the movie re-cut while Huston is out of the country working on another film.

Anyone who suspects that there never was a golden age of Hollywood without inept executives and corporate committees will enjoy this book. You wonder how anything good ever gets made. Cynics will chuckle, film lovers will just shake their heads in sorrow. Of course, there is that other adage about not wanting to see how the sausage gets made...

This book, or rather, collection of three booklets, is one of the most useful guides to organizing and structuring a report, and then writing it in the clearest and most coherent manner. The author has had extensive experience, especially in guiding professional staff in the World Bank, and the result is a manual that is both concise and eminently practical.

Bruce Ross-Larson has now given us a fitting sequel to his classic Edit Yourself, which I have used since the 1980s to help me cut the fat out of what I write -- and improve clarity. When I worked in the World Bank I had him teach these arts to my staff. This saved me a lot of managerial time which I could devote to strategic pursuits like planning and innovating. Not exercising my red pencil on the prose of my mostly non native English speakers.

Bruce has now outdone himself by giving us three books in one: Effective Writing teaches us how to write "stunning sentences", "powerful paragraphs", and "riviting reports". Still to come, I understand, is "writing for the web". But for now, Bruce has put his wealth of experience as chief editor of some of the most important publications coming out of the World Bank and the United Nations (e.g. the World Development Report and the Human Development Report), just to name two of his clients, at the disposal of the writing public. This book is so good in print that it is being converted into a web-based training service for writers, aimed at corporate intranets. Clearwriter.com is coming soon.

But you can be the first on your block to hone your writing skills and impress your readers, whether they are your bosses, clients, or customers. This book is a must for every writer's bookshelf, whether or not a native English speaker.

Bruce Ross-Larson has now given us a fitting sequel to his classic Edit Yourself, which I have used since the 1980s to help me cut the fat out of what I write -- and improve clarity. When I worked in the World Bank I had him teach these arts to my staff. This saved me a lot of managerial time which I could devote to strategic pursuits like planning and innovating. Not exercising my red pencil on the prose of my mostly non native English speakers.

Bruce has now outdone himself by giving us three books in one: Effective Writing teaches us how to write "stunning sentences", "powerful paragraphs", and "riviting reports". Still to come, I understand, is "writing for the web". But for now, Bruce has put his wealth of experience as chief editor of some of the most important publications coming out of the World Bank and the United Nations (e.g. the World Development Report and the Human Development Report), just to name two of his clients, at the disposal of the writing public. This book is so good in print that it is being converted into a web-based training service for writers, aimed at corporate intranets. Clearwriter.com is coming soon.

But you can be the first on your block to hone your writing skills and impress your readers, whether they are your bosses, clients, or customers. This book is a must for every writer's bookshelf, whether or not a native English speaker.

This is a collection of books from the Effective Writing series and is a great deal. All the books here, Stunning Sentences, Powerful Paragraphs, and Riveting Reports, are essential for any writer's or student's desk.

The first part, Stunning Sentences, turns from the memorization of sentence forms and gives the readers many examples of ways to model their own sentences. In the examples, Ross-Larson deftly shows the readers how the different sentence styles work and when they could best be used. He also gives the readers an example with exemplary sentences so that readers can see how the sentences work in a larger context.

The second part, Powerful Paragraphs, shows the readers how paragraphs can be formed and used by the writer. Different examples show how the topic sentence of the paragraph can be moved within the paragraph for effect. As with the previous section of this book, the author gives us plenty of examples.

The third part, Riveting Reports, walks the readers through the writing process and shows the readers how they can slowly and steadily build a solid paper. By showing these steps, the readers can eliminate a lot of stress by planning when these steps will be accomplished. There is also a full example of a paper from start to finish.

In all, this is a very handy resource to have available to you. Using this, and not just reading it, will provide you with great ideas in planning and writing. This is a must-have.

If you're a verb-challenged troglodyte, you should read this book. If you're a budding Bob Woodward, you should own this book. Effective Writing is the book for anyone who wants to learn to write, focus their writing, or sharpen their editing. Using numerous examples, Bruce Ross-Larson demonstrates how to write sentences with variety, construct paragraphs that hang together and assemble all of that into the finished product. Ross-Larson's breezy, non-instructional style makes this 269-page book as easy a read as a romance novel.

This book is a compilation of three of Ross-Larson's more subject-specific books: Stunning Sentences, Powerful Paragraphs, and Riveting Reports. Not surprisingly, those are also the titles of the three sections into which Effective Writing is divided. The table of contents for each section identifies every tip so a deadline-pressured scribe can quickly zero in the advice sought, whether it's for "Interruptive Dashes" or "Make Your Points in Compelling Ways."

Ross-Larson's occupation as a writing coach is a primary reason for the success of this book. President of the American Writing Institute, he has helped improve the writing of executives at the World Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Census Bureau, among others. His experience in dealing with non-writers shows. No grammar guides here; there's no spelling secrets. Only practical, easy-to-understand advice on how to polish that rough stone of an idea into a sparkling gem.

He takes it for granted that his readers recognize good writing, even if they can't (yet) do it themselves: "So, to move from the common to the stunning," he advises, "begin to look for patterns in good writing that you can emulate." He also assumes some basic knowledge of parts of speech such as prepositional phrases and clauses. Some of his observations seem boringly obvious: "Most sentences should convey one idea - or two closely related ideas." Yet there are plenty of mental prods here for even the veteran pen-dragger, such as his advice on repetition: "Repetition - far too often avoided - can be a powerful rhetorical device. It can bring order and balance to a sentence's parts. And it can rivet a word to the reader's frontal lobe with more impact than elegant variation ever could." Each suggestion is supported by several examples culled from published articles and reports, with the point he's trying to make italicized.

But this isn't a mere primer. Ross-Larson doesn't hesitate to tempt readers to attempt more advanced forms of paragraph structure. For instance, he devotes 4 1/2 pages to "undermining," which he refers to as "a clever way to make your point stand out while taking the claws out of an opposing view." He describes how to "undermine a premise at the end of a paragraph" as well as how to "undermine a premise immediately." Or even to "undermine a premise in the middle of a paragraph." Of course, examples abound.

It is this hefty use of examples that contributes to readability of this book. For experienced writers, the examples can serve to blow away the syntactical cobwebs and refresh prose that may have grown stale. For beginners, the examples are mini case studies on which to linger.

For journalists, the section on report writing may have less relevance. Reporters facing daily deadlines rarely have time to take advantage of Ross-Larson's detailed approach to planning and drafting lengthy reports. However, for the college student writing a term paper or a junior executive trying to impress her boss with that seamless sales analysis, the time spent on these pages will be a great investment.

This book is written in a style light enough to engage even those who hated English in high school. Still, there's enough meat inside that every serious student of language ought to consider adding Effective Writing to that select group of books which occupy a corner of every writer or editor's desk.

A brief but inclusive text, Folklore of the Scottish Highlands provides exactly that: and overview of clan lore, information on second sight, witchcraft, social customs, life and death, and seasonal cycles all as they related to the customs and folklore of the Scottish Highlands. For those that have done other research on traditional Celtic/Scottish culture and religions, much of Ross's text will be familiar as her sources include Carmichael and Campbell, two of the most important authors in the field. Ross does, however, narrow down the field of study to just the highlands, making this a useful resource for the reader interested in localized information. Her information on seasonal religious practices is particularly useful.

The book's first section, "Clan Lore," is specific to the Scottish Highlands and unlike anything I've seen in books on this and similar topics. Ross connects fairly ancient practices to fairly modern practices, in part through the clan system. She also discusses the primary attributions and functions of the clan, and how these attributions interact with religion and folklore. This section will be particularly useful to the reader interested in narrowing his research to a more specific location. It does, however, cross over some traditional boundaries in time and practice, and so it needs to be read carefully and with a grain of salt.

Much of the rest of the book will be familiar to those that have read Campbell and Carmichael, and Ross fails to add much in the way of new or insightful commentary. She does, however, restrict her purview to the highlands, again making the book useful to the reader who wishes to localize his study. The section on witchcraft, while definitely folklore inspired/corrupted by Christianity, is more complete than corresponding sections in similar texts. Ross also include a handful of illustrations of varying usefulness that are scattered throughout the text.

As mentioned, the section of seasonal and religious practices is defiantly the most useful and complete of the book. Unlike many authors in the same field, Ross does a more than adequate job of summarizing various sources and practices into a coherent text on each of the subjects she talks about. This will help the reader put other research into context and gain a greater understanding on seasonal/religious practices in Scotland as a whole. All in all, I do recommend this book, but not very highly. It is an interesting and fast read with a few useful sections, but on the whole it lacks the depth, analysis, and new content of similar books by authors in the field. It's a good book to borrow or to wait to buy, and I would recommend other books and authors ahead of it.

This is an excellent book, especially if you are writing a book set in the Highlands and need cultural information that is often left out of history books. It was very interesting and enjoyable to read (not stuffy). The most informative book on customs/culture of the Highlands I've found.

Anne Ross gives a wonderful introduction to the lore of the Scottish Highlands and the Isles. She covers Clan lore, Second Sight and the Seer, Witchcraft both black and white, Folk cures, meaning of omens and social customs. The covers the festivals dates through the year and gives you a nifty list of Folk Museums, with drawings and maps to aid the readers unfamiliar with Scotland. Gaelic speaking, Celtic scholar and archaeologists, she brings her knowledge to bear on looking at death rights, and try to remove the veneer of Christianity and look at the origins in Pagan customs that date back to the dawn of time.

Its a small book only 170 pages, but she does a wonderful job bringing this part of All Things Scottish into the spotlight.

Highly Recommended.

Anne Ross, in the tradition of F. Marian McNeill, has done a superb job in recording the core facets of Scottish Highland beliefs and customs. Covering such topics as the mystical elements surrounding Scottish clan lore, seers and the second sight, witchcraft (with the a thorough scholarly distinction made between white and black magic in Scottish tradition), cures/omens/taboos and social customs, as well as a wonderful exploration of Highland "death teachings" and cosmologies, The Folklore of the Scottish Highlands is one of those texts that will forever be looked back to. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Like a beautiful fruit, what lies beneath the peel is most revealing and rewarding. And, no one has done a better job of revealing old Scottish customs and traditions than the native Gaelic speaking Celtic Scholar and Archeologist, Anne Ross.

Dr. Ross takes an in-depth look at the beliefs and customs of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, stemming from pre-Christian customs and surviving for centuries through oral tradition, Christianized hymns and incantations, and folklore.

This text covers the mysticism of Scottish clan lore and it's importance in Scottish society, the Seers and second sight, witchcraft and magic, cures, omens, taboos, social customs, reverence toward life/death, calendar festivals and other daily practices and rites, all stemming from the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

One thing to remember about this book is that many of the sources are Christian in nature and that influence is readily seen in Scottish tradition and folklore, but the author peels away many of the Christian customs to reveal a system of beliefs and practices most commonly associated with the pre-Christian (Pagan) era.

The depths which she reveals in Scottish traditions are quite amazing, and her analysis makes this a thoroughly interesting book, from cover to cover.