Oregon State University Books

This might be the only engineering text you'll ever see that is HAND-LETTERED! Yes, Octave Levenspiel's famously neat handwritting is present on almost every page, and that includes the graphs and figures. Besides the novelty value, the Omnibook is a fairly decent reference book. Don't try to learn reaction engineering from this book alone; equations and concepts are simply applied and are not derived or developed in any way whatsoever. This can lead to some confusion if you haven't brushed up recently on the basic concepts. If you know the concepts but can't exactly remember how to apply them, then it works great. It also makes a fine supplement to either Levenspiel's _Chemical Reaction Engineering_ or the (slightly superior, in my opinion) _Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering_ by Fogler.

The Episcopal Church, 30 years after it allowed women to become priests and bishops, has elected a woman as its Presiding Bishop.

Katharine Jefferts Schori, 52, bishop of Nevada, was elected from a slate of seven nominees, on the fifth ballot June 18, as the 26th Presiding Bishop. She is the first woman to hold the top post in the church's nearly 400-year history. Her nine-year term officially begins November 1; she will be invested and seated November 4 during a liturgy at Washington National Cathedral.

Jefferts Schori breaks tradition in other ways. The airplane pilot and former oceanographer addressed deputies and visitors who gathered in the Columbus Convention Center in both Spanish and English. She thanked the other nominees and reassured the church of her passion for mission.

(c) Episcopal News Service

Many articles in this 2. edition are just reprints of articles from the 1 edition. It is a real problem that the articles are not dated or have otherwise been indicated whether they are new in this edition (from 2003) or have just been reprinted without updating from the first edition which was published in 73 volumes from 1968 until 2003. (Vol 1-33 A-Z; Vol. 34+35 = Index; Vol 36-73 = supplements)

For example, the article "Philosophy of Science" was pubished in 1977. It is reprinted in the 2nd edition without any changes in content (only typographical changes such as two columns). In the 2nd edition we are misinformed that this entry is "Print Published: 05/20/2003 | Online Published: 06/23/2003". The readers are thus misled concerning what they are reading. This is tru for many articles, I guess much more than 50%.

The only way you can tell whether the article is revised or updated is by looking at the references and see if new references are included - in most cases they are not (alternatively, of course compare the articles in the two editions page by page).

Both the first edition and the second edition have a heavy emphazis on specific libraries in specific countries and is weak in theoretical and conceptual issues.

When this is said, it should be said that there are many important articles in this work and it is an obvious advantage that it is available online and the papers available as pdf-files. I have now read usefull articles that I would not have read if I had to make paper copies from the old edition.

This book is very detailed on information needed to plan a vacation trip along the Oregon Coast. It's laid out by milemarker along Hwy 101, has lots of travel tips, places to stay, activities, and things to look into, such as parks, museums, etc. It has adequate lodging and dining information, although this informaiton may degrade quickly over time. Amazon promoted the book to me as a photo guide for planning a trip to photograph scenics. I would rate it a "1" on that point, as what passes for scenic photo suggestions are few in number and trivil in content.

I don't want to imply that this is a bad book, in fact I think it represents a tremendous effort. However, this is not a book for the casual reader, and certainly NOT a book for someone "coming to Gary Snyder for the first time." This book is scholarly and rather nit-picking. It at turns makes much of a single word and yet elsewhere glosses over whole pieces of Snyder's writing. Most importantly, someone buying this books should understand that it picks apart poems and prose pieces, often without quoting more than the single word or phrase it is discussing. There is thus often little context for the analysis given, and it is hard to read this book unless you already have more or less a complete collection of Gary Snyder's writings sitting beside you. That said, for someone who DOES have most or all of Gary Snyder's writing at hand, "A Place for Wayfaring" provides a lot of insight and background material that would otherwise be unavailable outside of a college English class. For the Snyder fan, a worthwhile book, but if you've only read a few of Snyder's books, I think you'll quickly feel lost.

This book provided a view into the Warm Springs Reservation, whether or not it is a realistic view remains to be seen. The "voices" the authors chose to include in the book were not the best "voices". Some of the people interviewed were newcomers to the reservation, had only lived on the reservation for a short period of time years ago, and a couple were bigots who lived in the border town. Since the authors seemed to focus a lot on educational issues and youth issues, it would make sense to include interviews of youth. None were included. Also lacking in the book were the "voices" of tribal elders and leaders. Where were they? The authors give no explanation for the lack of these "voices". I believe that they would have provided important and informative viewpoints. Perhaps if the authors had included a list of interviews they tried to obtain, I might not have such a harsh opinion of the authors and their work.

I have to say that this is one of the most boring history books I have read to date and I've read hundreds. I'm not aware of factual errors the other reviewers mention (as I'm not that familiar with this period in American history), but the book is so generally written with so many names and dates that it's almost as boring as the high school textbooks we all hated. Not quite that bad, but certainly not up to the standards I've come to expect from a History Book Club selection.
I'm half finished with the book and though I really hate to give up on any book I start, I may not finish this one. I can't really recommend it.

I will not go into the factual errors in the book. Those have been described by other reviewers. Mr. Dary's book is occasionally excellent. It has two appendices on place names along the Oregon Trail and its various cutoffs; and the location and a description of the cutoffs and other roads of the Oregon Trail. These appendices will be very useful to the reader who wants a handy reference tool for locating on a modern map places of interest or import to the emigrants. These appendices alone could justify to some the purchase of this book. Also, the description of the decline of the trail and it resurgence is very good. I have five criticisms of Mr. Dary's book: (1) The cursory description on the "why" thousands sold everything, left family and home to travel to an unknown land through unknown but certain dangers. The only overarching explanation Mr. Dary gives that spurred the overlanders was a poor economy. Surely not everybody was running from bad credit or the bank! There must have been other reasons, or combingation of reasons. (2) What reasons pulled so many initially to Oregon rather than California? Was it only because California was Mexican territory? (3) I also yearned for a greater description of the Indian tribes the overlanders interacted with, the effect upon the Indians of so many strangers going through their lands, what the perception emigrants had of Indians when they started their journey, and what perceptions the Indians had of the emigrants. (4) Mr. Dary occasionally switches from discussing one emigrant party to discussing a few lines later another party travelling in a different season or location. This aburpt shifting in people, places and times left my mind with a muddle of names, places and dates that ran together without much distinction. (5) The maps are adequate, but small and most have too little detail to be of much use in orienting the text to the geography. Another book which I suggest those interested in this topic read is Frank McLynn's "Wagons West". Mr. McLynn's book goes into greater detail than Mr. Dary of the "why" thousands travelled west before the Civil War (about 30 pages of discussion); Mr. McLynn gives a greater description of how they travelled including the construction of the wagons and tack; a good discussion of the perils and diseases which the emigrants faced; the affect of the Trail upon the resident Indians; and the particular challenges, rigors and pleasures of women on the Trail (38 pages). Mr. McLynn's book covers the Oregon Trail, the several trails to California, and the Mormon emigration to Utah. So, you get a broader scope of the migration of people, how the various trails related to each other, and where the emigrants on those various trails entertwined. Also, Mr. McLynn's attention to the detail of camp life (for example, he describes the origin of circling wagons)is fascinating. Ms. McLynn spends considerably more energy than Mr. Dary describing in detail the travels and travails of particular emigrants and their parties. Mr. McLynn's narrative style describing individual groups is not only filled with details, it sometimes borders the "can't-put-it-down". The bottom line on Mr. Dary's book for me: he is a talented writer that gives the flavor of what the emigrants went through in their journey, but not much more; a description of the "Trail" and its various "cutoff"s that at times is disjointed and requires having an atlas in your lap if you wish to follow where the emigrants are in his narrative; somewhat useful maps, but most need greater detail; excellent appendices... you'll love these; and very good description of the decline and rebirth of the Oregon Trail during and after the Civil War. A book worth to purchase and read. But, if you are going to only read one book on this subject, purchase and read Mr. McLynn's "Wagons West". Happy Trails!

Dary reports in great detail the daily life of settlers heading west. He did a prodigious amount of research. However, the details are tedious and incorrect at times. I yearned for an insightful observation or at least a summary statement. He offered none.

This book is aimed at the general reader and, as such, is organized in a clear manner. It covers the trail period well and, in what is unique, also covers the efforts to preserve the trail up to the current Oregon-California Trails Association. That said, the book needed to be edited again for factual errors. There are way too many. They range from trivial: Shoshone Falls is north of the Oregon Trail not south; Idaho was not included in the list of present day states made from the Old Oregon Country; to more important: Jim Bridger did not SELL Fort Bridger to the Mormons in 1853; to a real howler: blaming the 1854 Ward massacre in present day southern Idaho on the Yakama Indians, instead of the Shoshones (and by the way there were two survivors). It's too bad. This could have been a good general history for the non-specialist with a little more care. As it is it is OK as an overview, but be careful with the details.

This book attracts from the beginning with a beautiful map on the inside covers showing the route of the Oregon Trail and its offshoots from Missouri to Oregon and California. Two hundred and fifty thousand people traveled over the trail by covered wagon during its heyday from the 1840s to the 1860s and more than 2,000 accounts of the passage were written by the emigrants themselves.

The author begins with a brief description of the Chinook Indians who lived at the terminus of the trail where the Columbia River joins the Pacific. He describes the early European voyages to the region and then quickly moves to the era of the fur trappers and mountain men. This can be a bit dry given the multiplicity of travelers and their trips.

The book hits its stride with Chapter 6 and the description of the emigrants traveling over the trail in the 1840s and 1850s. The author quotes extensively from the accounts of the emigrants themselves. The most touching of the stories is the two-page account of Catherine Sager of the death of her mother and father along the trail. Later in the book we encounter Catherine as a captive of the Cayuse Indians. I am inspired now to seek out Catherine Sager's book and read her full story.

In the final chapter, "Rebirth of the Trail," the author tells the fascinating story of Ezra Meeker who traveled the trail in 1852 and decided to retrace his path in 1900 at age 77. Meeker's epic covered wagon re-voyage excited interest in the old trail and created a movement to preserve portions of the route, some of it still marked with the wagon wheel ruts of the emigrants.

The book is well illustrated with photographs, maps, and art. Appendices describe related trails, historical landmarks, and there is even a glossary of 19th century words and phrases that might not be familiar to a modern reader. This is an excellent and attractive book for the general reader.

Smallchief

Using this book has helped me to rule out or include winter species I wasn't sure about in the Portland area. You need a picture type bird identifier with it.

I'm very disappointed with this book. I will keep the book for its maps, but I don't believe it will be at all useful to identify the birds that visit my yard in the winter. The only color picture this book contains is on the cover. There are a very few photographs (black and white) and a very few drawings (also black and white). The maps may be helpful, but only when used together with some other book with color pictures.

This is a straightforward, easy to understand, basic primer on the hatching of eggs. However, you are not going to get all the information you need from this 4 page bulletin. For example, it only addresses poultry/fowl, so don't look to it for breeding reptiles. Also, for artificial incubation of birds. there is no species specific information such as temperature requirements. ONE BIG CAVEAT: This is not a book. It is a bulletin that is available to download for free or for purchase @ $.50. Just google the title. That's what I did.

and that's about it. It was one of the worst science textbooks I have encountered and if I never have to see it again, that's too soon. About 1 question out of every 5 was wrong, and there were huge errors throughout the text. Things were explained poorly and I actually did better when I didn't have the book confusing me. I don't know about this book, but other books by Peter Atkins only get worse with each new addition. I was very happy when I was able to get rid of it.

This book was a required text for the physical chemistry college course. To start there are many misprints or typo on several rate constants for the given equation: PV=nRT. The form in which the units are represented can be misleading and at times confusing. Compared to the 7th Edition it is more difficult to answer the exercises and problems at the end of each chapter. Most of the time one must assume ideal gas behavior to answer the questions, however, the instructions do not advise or inform the student they must assume ideal behavior in order to correctly solve the problems or exercises. The only saving grace is obtaining the students solution mannual!

For all the money you're paying for this book, you'd think that de Paula and Atkins could hire someone to actually READ the thing before it was published. There's at least one typo on nearly every page (and more on others). Some of these errors are innocuous, but others completely obfuscate what the authors are trying to say. To make things more of a mess, the examples and mathematical derivations often gloss over several key points that make it difficult for students to follow. And don't even get me started on the problems, which make use of magical values that are nowhere to be found in the book. The solutions are even worse - it's as if the authors mixed up the numbers of the problems in the 7th edition without bothering to update the corresponding solutions.

The representation of units is questionable at best. Who uses dm^3 instead of L as their de facto unit of volume? The authors take their cockamamie unit scheme one step further by representing all numerical values as unitless entities. For example, instead of R = 8.31 (J / mol * K), they'll divide both sides by the units and depict it as R / (J / mol * K) = 298. This baffling treatment of units is unnecessary, inconsistent, and, worst of all, distracting from the material at hand.

In a word, terrible. Since this is my first physical chemistry course I have no frame of reference for judging the content (which is decent, as far as I can tell), but the presentation is awful. If you MUST get this book for a class, look for the International edition - the only difference is that the images in the International edition aren't in color. Take the money you save and purchase a separate book that actually presents the material clearly.

That is the worst physical chemistry textbook I've ever seen, though I haven't seen too many. To not go into deep detail this is about the material presentation. The choices that the authors made on what to tell and what not to tell as well as what to say about some concepts and issues are against the goal of good understanding and memorizing.

The new edition has colored pictures and "Impact On" sections which is very good, but I can not be silent about the thing that I cannot imagine could come to someone's head: the was an attempt to convert as many units as possible to SI all over the book. Like, it says "dm^3 (decimeter cubed)" everywhere where it would say "l (liter)" in 7th edition.
The atomic energies are expressed in attojoules. Good thing they haven't completely removed the electronvoltes, but it's not that easy to find them now.

The only reason to buy this book is when you have no other choice.

As with other editions of Atkins' P-Chem (I own 4th, 5th, & 7th), the topics are covered rigorously and at a level that I think is appropriate for a solid junior undergrad course in P-chem.

For a text that keeps up quite admirably with advancements in science, the diagrams and ancillaries (e.g., living graphs) continue to be weak and well behind the pedagogical innovations that make p-chem more accessible to students.

The quality of the binding is unacceptably poor. Like others on this page, I too have a copy of the text with the cover that has come apart. Freeman ought to republish the text with improved binding. This text should serve as a reference for students to use for many years to come. It absolutely cannot serve that function with the quality of the binding in this version.