Research Books

The news about public school education has been bad for almost 30 years. Statistics published by city, state, and federal information banks show that kids are just not learning what they need to know, schools are overcome with violence, teachers are demoralized, and yet billions of dollars are literally shovelled into the system. Where does this money go, we have all asked,as we walk down our children's school hallways and have seen the paint falling off the walls and ceilings, the broken desks and chairs, and we have heard about the lack of services and resources going to our kids. There has been little documentation of the misappropriation of these funds until now. Lydia Segal has written an excellent and important book on this topic that will become THE textbook on corruption, theft, fraud, and patronage within the Board of Education not only in New York City, but also in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Lydia Segal, a former Investigator of the New York City public schools, says that very little of the dollars allocated to students in our public schools actually gets used by them. She details how coding problems, the procurement process, compartmentalization and opacity of information leave administrators with only two options: good corruption (which ultimately helps the kids) and bad corruption (which never helps anyone but the perpetrator and his/her allies and accomplices). Indeed, the system fights those who try the good corruption route. Ms. Segal describes in graphic detail the "godfathers" and "godmothers" (the school board members), who obtain jobs for their "pieces". Furthermore, no one who reads her chapter "Lessons From Local Political School Control", with the sub-headings "How Language Illuminates the Pathology", "No Real Accountability", "The Ease of Building a Patronage Army", "Controlling the Tools For Patronage", and "Exploiting Parents' Poverty" will ever listen to a school Principal, Superintendent, or School Board official in the same way. Our perception of public school education is changed forever by this book.
The pathology of this corruption suggests the remedy, Ms. Segal says, which is decentralization of power into the schools and the hands of the Principals. The 52 pages of footnotes, interviews, and reference materials as well as the easy reading style make every word Ms. Segal writes believable, although depressing. There is no question, however, that anyone who is interested in school reform and/or who works toward a goal of establishing an education system that puts children first must read this book.

I almost did not buy this book. I would like to understand why our schools are doing such a bad job at educating our kids. The title to this book suggested a narrow focus on issues such as bribery, which, while interesting to a District Attorney, do not seem central to the problem.

What I discovered, however, is that this book really covers alot more ground that the title suggests. Yes, Segal is a lawyer, and she started out in this area by investigating honest to goodness corruption. She is concerned about bribery, waste and abuse, all of which are larger problems than I had realized.

The book goes way beyond those relatively small issues, however. It really gets to the heart of WHY our schools stink, in a way that I have not seen anyone else do. What Segal really gets into are the reasons why our largest school districts are such ossified bureaucratic dinosaurs. She tells a number of really hair-raising stories about how totally the system does not care about efficiency or educational quality, and, perhaps more imporartant, she explains WHY the system can not care. It is a very interesting story. It goes back to the early 20th century when the Progressive Movement was fighting urban corruption, and scientific management was all the rage. The bottom line, however, is that our large systems have fundamental, systematic problems that make it astonishing that they teach as well as they do. As Segal makes very clear, tinkering around the edges with curriculum reform and such like will do next to nothing, until the organizations are fundamentally retooled so that basic efficiency and educational quality become a focus again. As things stand, there is so much red tape, so much administrative ho-ha and general bureaucratic nightmares that there is no possible way that the system can deliver a quality product at a reasonable price.

Very important book.

As a mother of two, facing the tough choice between public and private schools, I found this book full of critical insights as to how the public schools really work. Segal's analysis of the perverse incentives, corruption, and overwhelming bureaucracy that are dragging down our schools is compelling and persuasive. Her suggestions for what should be done to fix the system are intelligent and long overdue. Everyone with school-age kids should read this book now!

A real eye-opener, this very well-written and powerfully argued book finally helped me understand why
urban public schools never seem to have enough money
to educate our children despite repeated national and local efforts to change that. Ms. Segal contends that waste and abuse are the primary culprits and offers thorough and persuavie doumentaion that this is indeed true.
Because she concludes that the problem is with
pathological systems, not people, she spends a good quarter of the book discussing how to overhaul the systems.
The suggestions are overwhelmingly intelligent, inspiring, and above all, realistic.
This book is a must-read for anyone looking for concrete and specific ways to improve our educational system.

A real eye-opener, this very well-written and powerfully argued book finally helped me understand why
urban public schools never seem to have enough money
to educate our children despite repeated national and local efforts to change that. Ms. Segal contends that waste and abuse are the primary culprits and offers thorough and persuasive documentation that this is indeed true.
Because she concludes that the problem is with
pathological systems, not people, she spends a good quarter of the book discussing how to overhaul the systems.
The suggestions are overwhelmingly intelligent, inspiring, and above all, realistic.
This book is a must-read for anyone looking for concrete and specific ways to improve our educational system.

I lost my husband suddenly and tragically, - a widow at age 26 -- having lost my high-shool sweetheart, my first and only love, my best friend, my center of gravity - my world......
My mother gave me this book in the hopes it might bring me out of my severe depression.......
While I found myself greatly upset by the fact it focuses on losing a child, - and not your life companion, I felt bitter as I read it.... but because it was so well written and such and lovely book, - and because regardless of our losses being so very different, - I could still very much relate to much of her emotions, her questions, her fears..... - and my sincere heartache for this woman having lost her young child, then seeing how she managed to find hope, healing, gratitude, and so much more --- even way she was able to view this loss as a blessing -- in that her precious child blessed her by teaching her what was important, and encouraged her to make much needed changes in her life, change her focus, recognize the signifigance in all things and take nothing for granted --- it was so very touching, so inspiring, - so beautifully written. Even though it did not relate to my own grief or personal tribulations, being so very different to lose a husband than to lose a child, -- still, -- I must give this book five stars -- And I hope that anyone who is grieving the loss of their child will consider this empowering, comforting, and inspiring book above all others. I promise you, no matter how deeply you ache or how great the abyss in your heart -- this book will indeed sow the seed to begin mending your broken spirit and to heal your heart.

Lost in my own tragedy, the passages and lessons in the book gave me hope for the future. It reconnected me with the world and put life and death in perspective.

The book consolidates the many readings available on the afterlife into to one concise easy read. Dr. Geller leaves you aligned with a higher spiritual power and life purpose.

This book is a rare gem. A book about dealing with the tragedy of death that offers comfort and hope and maybe some kind of answer for the bereaved. So many of these books have the author wallowoing in sorrow for the 150 pages and do nothing to ease the pain. But this book is different-it brings comfort to the bereaved. What an achievement! Thank you for this book. It it meant to be read over and over again and to passed on and recommended to other people in pain.

This an excellent book combining the many facets of our spirituality, validating many of my own conclusions. I especially enjoyed the chapters on pre-birth experiences and near death experiences. Each chapter flowed into the next relevant topic. I also liked the way Dr. Geller looks at different belief systems as "costumes". I have believed this for many years.
I recommend this book to anyone with questions about one's past, future, or anyone who has witnessed death or lost a loved one. I could not put this book down and am looking forward to reading some of the referenced books.

After loosing my sister three short years ago, I have read many books and been confused, upset or lost with a great deal of them. Dr. Geller gives you an outline, if you will, of her own loss and then describes the feelings and emotions of dealing with such devistation. Through this journey together the reader begins to empathize with her and learns from her emotions and spiritual guidance. Not guidance as these are the steps to mourning but more the spiritual enlightenment you can open yourself up to be guided by.
I found her spiritual growth to be a relief and a light at the end of the tunnel. Well written and easy to follow.

Too many Market Research books tend to be dry tomes, focusing on quantitative methods but written in a fairly theoretical style: they talk about why research is useful, and how surveys are conducted. Ho hum.

But here is a Market Research book that feels real. Bonnie Goebert is a senior researcher who has run countless groups and experienced the hard crunch of difficult respondents and the challenge of digging into topics that others find difficult to articulate. She knows the score: and knows that the mission is bring back to the client a living, breathing understanding of what motivates their customers and what will drive success.

Bonnie has an ethnusiastic, grab-your-lapels style of writing and sharing her insights and experience, and this is what gives the book a very real credibility. She comes over as the senior guru everyone wishes they could learn from.

If there's a main theme here, it is her passion for going beyond description ("respondents said this...") and nailing the insightful idea that follows. As she says: the zip-loc bag didn't get invented because consumers wanted a zip-loc bag. It got invented because somebody listened to consumers discuss the mundane daily battle to wrap Johnny's sandwiches and store yesterday's left-over meatloaf.

In this sense the book is a zesty hybrid between a how-to guide on running groups and an example-laden treatise on how big ideas come from little insights. Bonnie goes beyond simple listening, and she encourages us to do the same. A great read for researchers, ad agency strategists and marketers alike.

Two other books on focus groups you might like to follow up: The very original guidebook: Focused Interview and a lightweight introduction for qualitative newbies: Moderating to the Max: A Full-Tilt Guide to Creative Insightful Focus Groups and Depth Interviews

I usually don't write reviews, but this book compelled me. I have read a lot of books, but I really learned something from this one. My advertising approach will be different from now on.

This book is a great collection of insights and case studies of how other companies have utilized qualitative research methods to uncover key learnings and how they have both successfully and unsuccessfully implemented ideas for the consumer. A terrific read for all marketers.

Warm, well written, insider's book based on thirty years of focus group research. Written with a voice that listens. Bonnie Goebert obviously likes people and likes listening. Her insights into customer motivation would help anyone who wants to sell anything to anybody, especially corporate types who sometimes forget that the consumer is us.

I loved this book and I wish all those high flying ad agency people would read it. What are the thoughts that float through a homemaker's mind as he pushes his cart through the supermarket? You know what yours are, but do you know what his are? Bonnie Goebert says listen, ask the right questions. Don't try to con, talk down to or objectify the consumer because the consumer is us. This is the perfect book for account executives, art directors, copywriters, market researchers and anyone who's ever wondered how people make the decisions they do when they go to buy a product, any product. It's full of interesting anecdotes about human behavior, insightful observations and common sense conclusions that could help any company looking to jump start their business. It's lively, well written, and as the culmination of thirty years of focus group moderating, impecably researched. If more ad agencies and CEO's read this book, they'd find out who we really are...and what we really want. Wouldn't that be nice?

What a fascinating read this is. You realize that so many products (kitty litter, liquid paper, trivial pursuit etc.) were invented by very ordinary people living ordinary mundane lives and whose lives were transformed by a great idea. Truly inspirational.

The Big Idea is a great view into the world of great business innovation. The Big Idea looks in detail at some of the great innovative products of our time such as: the remote control, Teflon, liquid paper, Velcro, Microwave oven, USA today, Silly Putty, post-it notes and many other innovative products.

The Big Idea is good at is getting to the story behind the story. I was amazed that many of these innovations where thought of in a flash of inspiration, but took many, many years to be realized as products (Xerox, Polaroid and Barbie). I was also reminded of the personal and financial hardship that many of the entrepreneurial innovators faced. Many innovators had several (many) failures among the way to reaching their success.

The Big Idea also impresses the need to copyright, patent and trademark your creation so that you can reap the rewards from the creation. There are also a couple of interesting examples of innovation within a corporate setting.

If you want to innovate you need the commitment and persistence to stay with it for the long term. The Big Idea closes with the following lessons from innovators The Big Idea covers.

1. Think of things that never were and ask, "why Not" - innovations is doing what others don't see
2. The Power of One - Behind every great innovation there is typically a single individual driving it forward
3. Keep It Simple, Stupid - complexity kills innovations
4. First is best - own the consumers mind by being first
5. Try, try again - when you fail... try again
6. Risk Business - to hit homeruns you have to swing for the fence
7. Synergy is necessary - know you strengths and weaknesses and let other's strengths offset your weaknesses

The Big Idea builds these lessons out with a good level of detail and it worth the purchase price.

This book is perfect for any entrepreneur who would like a dose of inspiration and a quick read. Strauss describes the design process and marketing of many of our favorite products (Palm Pilots, Barbie dolls, Tupperware, cell phones) along with the difficulties these entrepreneurs encountered. Although the word "visionary" is overused in today's business world, these men and women were truly visionaries who marched to the beat of a different drummer. Strauss focuses on different rules of innovation in each chapter, and the book becomes a cohesive (although certainly not exhaustive) lesson on building a business.

This is a different sort of business book. Most are boring or self-important. This book was neither. Rather, it was a very enjoyable read while still being very useful. The stories were informative and entertaining, and, I thought, drove home the salient points. As an entrepreneur, it was helpful to see how others created great companies.

I heard about this book on the radio and picked it up. It was easy to read, entertaining, and very informative. The stories were great too - how people invented and marketed things like Post Its, the computer mouse, Trivial Pursuit, Kitty Litter ... It would be good for anyone who is an inventor, entrepreneur, or simply likes pop culture. It's like those Paul Harvey "Rest of the Story" stories.

This book is very informative and well researched. It, however, does not contain a lot of colour photos. Nevertheless, the book is excellent in content and very useful for research. It, along with the Vol 1, are necessities to any nautical library.

An excellant source of information to anyone interested in the age of fighting sail. Not just firarms of the period are covered but all gunpowder weapons used for combat by ships at sea of the period. Provides a great wealth of information and insight into the imagination and genius of the weapons desighners of the period.

Great book and very great reading.

Students of navy history in the age of fighting sail are in for a feast! This is the BEST book I've read to date on the firearms of the sea service. From muskets, pistols, volley guns, carronades, grenades and other incinderaries, Gilkerson does an outstanding job with the subject. By the time I was finished with this one, I was ready to strap on a cutlass and a brace of pistols!

What can I say, but WOW!!! This is an EXCELLENT book on the edged tools and weapons used during the age of fighting sail.
Well documented, with exceptional line drawings and paintings, this book is a MUST for museum curators, collectors, reenactors, artists and navy historians. Even if you are not an "anchor clanker" at heart, you can almost smell the salt air and feel the spray...

There is a vast literature on naval warfare in the age of sail. William Gilkerson's two volume set, Boarders Away, deals with the fascinating topic of boarding actions and their weapons and tactics. Although covering the entire age of fighting sail, his emphasis is on the period 1775-1815 and on the British, French, and American navies.

Volume I, With Steel, covers edged weapons and polearms. Chapter I gives a general description of boarding actions. Included is a detailed account of the 1813 action between HMS Shannon and USS Chesapeake. Other chapters discuss boarding axes, boarding pikes, cutlasses, officers swords and dirks, and miscellaneous weapons (knives, belaying pins, flensing spades, etc.)

The text discussed these subjects in lavish detail. Included are are extracts from logs and other primary sources. The folio-sized volume is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of drawings and photographs. The cover photo above is an example of one of the colored plates.

Having experienced schizophrenia firsthand in my immediate family beginning in the 1950s, I was interested in seeing what medical explanations are being explored and what progress has been made regarding this devastating illness. This book beautifully presents necessary background data on brain function and on basic chemistry and genetics, and then gives lucidly presented information about new strategies and treatments. Various fields of medicine, genetics, and chemistry are coming together to present the real albeit complex picture of what these awful illnesses are about and how we can work to live with them or overcome them. Mental illness must be liberated from individual guilt, shame, and social stigma, which are still very strong in human society. Only knowledge of the facts can free us from these crippling attitudes, and this terrific book goes a long way to help. The author's PhD in literature also adds a humanistic touch to a scientific work, which I deeply appreciated.

BRAVE NEW BRAIN follows up the classic THE BROKEN BRAIN, both written by Dr. Nancy Andreasen. She is a recent winner of the National Medal of Science, and a great thinker in the fields of medicine and philosophy of medicine. The book is written for the general public so they will become part of the great revolution of knowledge in the neurosciences. She details not only traditional psychiatric illnesses, but expands this view into the neurological illnesses. This is important as now psychiatry and neurology begin to merge, each developing a new respect for the field of the other. She details how psychiatry cannot solve all of our modern day society's woes, but must turn these over to individuals to seek answers. A recommended book for any public or private library.

As a society we face, is it medicine or out of my house. We have some knowledge of medicine but what we don't have is knowldege of what to do with our nations poor, we need to think about this. Walking is important for people on medications but they don't tell you about this. What they don't tell you is not to drink coffee's etc. Or that many over the counters in general are bad. Our knowledge continues to grow as a society, however, there are many things we don't know. Nancy C Andreason gives a good review of things, and a well rounded perspective of things in her Brave New Brain. I am interested in also her genetics research as well. I believe the NAMI which she has mentioned is not the best helping organization though, and there is not much outside support or resources to help disabeled people which I think we need more of, when they don't have there families anymore. We need to think about how we are going to house homeless etc.

Having experienced schizophrenia firsthand in my immediate family beginning in the 1950s, I was interested in seeing what medical explanations are being explored and what progress has been made regarding this devastating illness. This book beautifully presents necessary background data on brain function and on basic chemistry and genetics, and then gives lucidly presented information about new strategies and treatments. Various fields of medicine, genetics, and chemistry are coming together to present the real albeit complex picture of what these awful illnesses are about and how we can work to live with them or overcome them. Mental illness must be liberated from individual guilt, shame, and social stigma, which are still very strong in human society. Only knowledge of the facts can free us from these crippling attitudes, and this terrific book goes a long way to help. The author's PhD in literature also adds a humanistic touch to a scientific work, which I deeply appreciated.

Nancy Andreasen is one of the top researchers in the field of Schizophrenia so is a good person to write this book. This is a very good book on the underlying causes of schizophrenia and other brain diseases and prospects better treatments and cures based on this knowledge. Great reading for a person who wants a better understanding of how the genetics revolution is impacting our knowledge of mental illness. Writen for a layman with some background or interest in science and biology.

This is about the Cancer Game, which might be seen as a part of the Cancer Industry, a kind of bizarre and ghoulish phenomenon of modern times that exists precisely because there is no cure for cancer. Indeed, Alex Prud'homme, who is a gifted researcher and prose stylist, whose work has appeared in such prestigious journals as The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, etc., might very well have called his book "The Cancer Game." I wonder why he didn't. Would such a title have offended those who play the game?

It is specifically about the rise and fall of one Sam Waksal, oldest son of Jewish emigrants and Holocaust survivors, a man of irresistible charm, fabulous energy, and great intelligence, a man driven to success and the high life, a man who had bounced around academia without much success until in the 1980s he saw an opportunity to become a player in the cancer game, and, along with his younger brother Harlan, founded ImClone Systems, Inc.

It is also about an anticancer drug called Erbitux, originally known as C225 because it was the 225th drug tested by its discoverers, John Mendelsohn and Gordon Sato in 1980. It showed promise because in tests it stopped the growth of tumors in mice.

And finally it is a story about how drugs get discovered, how they are developed, and especially how they get approved (or not) by the Food and Drug Administration. And of course it is about the Byzantine and incestuous relationship that exists between that August government agency and the massive pharmaceutical industry.

The curious thing about all this is that Imclone never turned a profit, Erbitux never came to market, and most of the people associated with Waksal and ImClone either made out like bandits or got stuck holding the bag. The drug itself, which works against cancer tumors, particularly colon cancer, by cutting off the blood supply to the tumors (an "antiangiogenesis" drug), was touted as a miracle that would save the lives of innumerable patients and make possibly billions of dollars for ImClone.

At least this was the hype delivered by Sam Waksal, and bought hook, line and sinker by pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb, and by desperate cancer patients as well as salivating Wall Street investors who jumped on the bandwagon as ImClone's stock rocketed skyward. Because of the promise of the drug, Waksal himself was able to live his dream life as a New York socialite, throwing lavish parties for celebs (including Martha Stewart while he dated her daughter), collecting fine art, popping open $600 bottles of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild while secretly selling stock on the side, sending the proceeds overseas, buying expensive apartments and houses for himself, etc., etc.

But the cold hard facts of Erbitux, like those of almost any cancer drug one can name, are very far from the hype. As Prud'homme notes on pages 332-333, "these agents...[Erbitux and others like Avastin and Iressa] are remarkable scientific advances, [but] they still only benefit some 10 to 20 percent of patients, and they only extend patients' lives by a matter of months."

That's it. That's the bottom line. And yet these drugs are so valuable that the companies that end up selling them can make hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars.

Waksal apparently came to this understanding sometime during the early eighties. He realized first the simple fact that the way the cancer industry works is doctors have to prescribe something rather than nothing. Then he realized that living a few months longer can mean a lot to people. Therefore any FDA-approved cancer drug will automatically fill a need. What this means is that the PROMISE of a cancer drug, if cleverly promoted, will spark a rally in the shares of the company that owns the patent. If, like Sam Waksal, you own millions of those shares, you can get rich on mere promise alone.

Furthermore, should the drug have any real value at all, and be approved (or even look like it's going to be approved) by the FDA, you might be able to get some pharmaceutical giant like Bristol-Myers Squibb to front a whole lot of money on that promise since they are desperate to find a cancer drug to replace those that have gone generic.

This works because even drugs with very limited effectiveness are better than no drug at all. This is true for many patients, for many doctors, and is especially true for the big pharmaceutical companies.

Note that these drugs are valuable because the people who need them are typically people of relative means who can afford to pay large sums of money for them, either through their HMOs, their government, or their own funds. In contrast a drug that would prolong the life of poor people in third world countries would be of only marginal value to the big pharmaceutical companies.

I should also mention that Prud'homme spends some serious ink in this book on Waksal's long-time friend Martha Stewart and her troubles. Her personality, her empire, and the way she handles herself are vividly detailed. In fact, some readers might find her story the most interesting part of the book.

This book is beautifully written and the story is powerfully, artfully told. Alex Prud'homme's eye for telling details and anecdotes brings to life all of the egos, greed, outsized appetites, and fat wallets that intersected in Sam Waksal and Martha Stewart's world. I couldn't put it down.

This fascinating story has appeared just as the Martha Stewart trial is getting underway. The book is crammed full of details not only concerning the principal characters, but also cancer treatments and the burgeoning world of biotechnology. Sam Waksal comes across as a mercurial salesman with no true sense of right or wrong, a classic striver seeking recognition and aspiring to great wealth, but also dissing the hopes of many with cancer. It's a good read -- fast-paced, up-to-date and accurate. If you really want to know why Waksal is in jail for seven years and how Martha Stewart became involved with his world, read this amazing and well-researched tale.

I could hardly put this book down. Never mind the Martha Stewart trial, this is where the excitement and drama in the ImClone story lies.

Sam Waksal, a scientist and business developer with a checkered past, lives a celebrity lifestyle, hanging out with the rich and famous, owning several fancy houses, driving fast cars, and heading a firm that is working on a cancer drug so promising that people with no other hope of treatment are flinging themselves at ImClone, begging for a merciful dose of "Erbitux."

The drug apparently does reverse inoperable tumors in a few test patients who had no other hope of living. Now the race is on to fast-track the drug through the FDA approval process based on the glowing clinical trials. But the FDA reviewer is unaccountably unencouraging when meeting with one of ImClone's top scientists. What is wrong? Is Erbitux, instead of being approved , instead going have its application refused? Why! And what will this mean for the high-flying ImClone stock?

The book reads like the best thriller, and author Alex Prud'homme is adept at making you feel like the proverbial fly-on-the-wall during the action. If you are at all interested in what happened behind the Martha Stewart debacle, you must read this. It's fantastic.

This book is a fine character study of an amazingly talented man whose endless need to gratify his own appetites and emotional needs led him to careless and even cruel behavior. There is no denying the great talent of Sam Waksal, but to this day he doesn't seem to understand that his talent and accomplishments do not provide a license to indulge himself at other's expense.

It is amazingly sad that all of this misery was so pointless because Erbitux has at last been approved. It almost certainly could have been approved earlier if the talented team at ImClone would have had a culture of discipline and getting things done and documented in ways that everyone knew the FDA required. If they had, all this pain and loss would never have occurred and Dr. Waksal would be a real hero instead of the one he only pretended to be.

Mr. Prud'homme writes with style and vitality. The book moves along well and has a great feel for keeping the story personal and emotionally accessible for the reader. We don't get overwhelmed with the scientific side of things, although it is always interesting to read about this emerging science and the wizards who are making it happen.

This book presents the Density functional Theory (DFT), for Chemists. It is divided in two parts: (A)The Definition of the Model - where the theory is presented; (B) The Performance of the Model - where the applications are explored. If you are interested in Computational Chemistry and want to learn DFT, then this book is for you.

This book is an excellent introduction to density functional theory. And it is not difficult to read straight through.

Unlike Parr and Yang's Density-Functional Theory of Atoms and Molecules, this book doesn't have many rigorous while lengthy derivations. However, it gives readers a clear clue for DFT ,and most importantly, a way to appreciate this theory as a chemist. I think this book is a perfect complement for Parr and Yang's book.

Computational and Theoretical chemists concerned with the applications of canonical quantum chemistry (molecular orbital) methods to chemically interesting problems know too well how (computationally) demanding is going beyond the Hartree-Fock (HF) approximation by employing the so called post-HF methods. Hence, very often they must resort on using Density Functional Theory (DFT). Here, however, they need to confront themselves with the terminology invented by their physics collegues: Kohn-Sham orbitals, Fermi hole, local and non-local spin-density functionals, generalized gradient approximation, pseudopotentials, and so forth. Any terminology is associated to a certain model of thought, which requires lot of efforts to be fully comprehended.
The book of Koch and Holthausen represents a praiseworthy attempt of presenting the basic concepts of DFT to research chemists. This 300-pages book is organized in two parts and it contains 13 chapters. Part A is concerned with the definition of the (DFT) model, while Part B discusses the performance of the model in dealing with molecular structures, vibrational frequencies, thermochemical, electrical and magnetic properties, H-bonds, and chemical reactivity. A rich bibliography is appended at the end of the book. Clearly written and logically organized, this book can be considered "THE Chemists's Guide to DFT" and it deserves five stars.

From a physicist's point of view this book is very clear at explaining Density Functional Theory (DFT). The authors use many chemical examples, but still can be applied to physics. Many physics books on DFT assume the reader knows most of the material so skips many important details that can leave the reader confused. Surprisingly, these chemists spend entire chapters on just about every piece of DFT. They even give many examples, using the Hydrogen molecule as an example quite a few times.

This book is fairly recent, published in 2001. It talks about many DFT codes used today and important functionals such as B3LYP. The book is a little relaxed on the math, so if you are wanting to see some of the detailed math I suggest "Density-Functional Theory of Atoms and Molecules" by Parr & Yang as a good companion book.

Dear Amazon--
In the hopes that someone will read this-- the title of the book with the error in the title (Leon Speroff's textbook) is Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility. That much is true. The subtitle is wrong. It is not, I repeat not, subtitled: :Cervical Spine Research Editorial Committee. The cervix Dr Speroff treats is in the pelvis, not the neck. Please correct this.
Sorry to notify you in this roundqbout way, but I don't know any other way to let your web masters know of this error. This "review" obviously is not for publication.
Sincerely, Irene M Piekarski, M.D.
206-522-3330 (O)
206-284-2003(H)

I bought this book through Amazon and quite happy with this service and book too.It is recommended for my masters course in Reproductive medicine.Thanks Amzone.

This is an incredible book. Speroff is still the king when it comes to infertility. In our OB/Gyn setting we refer to it many times in our treatment of basic infertiltiy and have had great success following the guidelines given by Speroff. It should be on the bookshelf of anyone who treats basic infertility!!

This text offers a straight-forward reference to assist in the management of gyn problems I commonly encounter as a Family Doctor. It goes into great detail about anatomy and physiology of gynecologic problems yet is well-organized for use as a "quick reference". For example, it took less than a minute to find the section on hirsuitism to refresh my memory as to what the initial work-up should consist of.

This is one of the bibles of the OB/GYN resident. Excellent reference for the in-service exams. Simple diagrams & tables make this text readable and easy to understand.

This is an excellent book. It outlines the important issues of clinical trials well. It is understandable and thorough. A must for anyone who is interested in actually doing trials. Not a good book for a brief, superficial overview.

Covers many aspects of trials (particularly facets of design and analysis)not yet covered by other books, eg randomisation with minimisation, and meta-analysis of trial results. Readable, applicable, practical, good references, well structured.

The amount of knowledge and the scope of this book are the exact need for the first contact with clinical trials. Yet, it is not a simple or superficial text. Instead, it not only will guide the reader through the basics of trials (and there is so much that is not basic in it) but the author points the reader to hundreds of papers and books that are landmarks. I regard this book itself as one of these landmarks!

This book is very unique. Basic statistical concepts are clearly presented but only those concepts that are important in clinical trials. The author presents all the issues with clinical trials including ethical issues with some historical perspective. Principles of randomization and statistical design are clearly presented. It offers discussion of Bayesian techniques and meta-analyses, cross-over designs and group sequential methods (interim analyses). For statisticians doing clinical research like myself, this is a valuable reference source.

This book is very unique. Basic statistical concepts are clearly presented but only those concepts that are important in clinical trials. The author presents all the issues with clinical trials including ethical issues with some historical perspective. Principles of randomization and statistical design are clearly presented. It offers discussion of Bayesian techniques and meta-analyses, cross-over designs and group sequential methods (interim analyses). For statisticians doing clinical research like myself, this is a valuable reference source.