Society Books

It contains a huge amount of interesting information and the CD-ROM that comes with it is just fascinating. This is a great book for learning about Microprocesser architecture.

Being an ASIC designer, I bought this book to improve my understanding of the architecture and techniques used in high performance design. Looking at the book alone, I have a mixed feeling: the chapters that are dedicated inner workings of a processor completely satisfied my expectations. They include an in-depth description of all the main blocks that make a high-end processor or memory system work: register renaming, instruction decoding and scheduling, cache operation etc. This is really very excellent material! On the other hand, I consider the chapters dedicated to the system perspective to be of much lower quality and not in line with the title of the book. In a bit more than 100 pages, the author describes almost all other aspects of a modern PC, including Total-Cost-of-Ownership, Windows Qualification, Ethernet principles, Internet connectivity and even VESA Local Bus standard. Obviously, it is impossible to discuss such a wide range of topics in such a limited space. This flaw is compensated by a fantastic CD-ROM that contains an overwhelming library with a selection of research papers, articles from magazines, interviews and even a VHDL and Verilog simulator! Conclusion: I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the secrets of a modern microprocessor. The removal of chapters about system aspects would have resulted in a 5 star rating.

I work in Retail computer Sales, and I have been searching for a book that allowed me to not just sell the computers but also to give me the technical edge above other competitors. Well this is the book that does it. Warning however, do not buy it if you are not a Engineer or have a craving interest in computer Science. I happend to have the craving interest in computer science. The CD Rom that comes with it is facinating. It's like haveing a PhD in CS 24/7. So far he (the Author) has been my best in-direct computer Science professor.

This book is indeed an anatomy of high-performance processor design. In classic computer architecture books like Hennesey and Patterson's, it covers topics like out-of-order execution and speculative execution mechanisms, but only in abstract and algorithmic levels. This book uses an actual K6 microarchitecture as a foundation and explains these difficult concepts in RTL with pseudo code illustration. This can really help someone with purely ASIC background (knowledge of HDL) to fully understand the implementation of a RISC core with out-of-order and speculative execution capabilities

This is a very well made book and CD-ROM. The book is both clear and detailed. The title can be read to narrowly though. In addition to going through the K6 3D microprocessor, the book has a wealth of information on related issues. Among other things, I found it very interesting to read the perspectives provided by six of the IEEE/ACM Eckert-Mauchly award winners on significant past and present books/papers/lectures/events. The book has many pointers to the CD-ROM, and let me tell you, the CD-ROM is dynamite. It includes the hypertext version of the book, technical presentations, audio and video clips of the people behind the K6 3D, three demo simulators, and many technical research papers. The CD-ROM has provided me with many hours of browsing. I browse and check things using the CD-ROM, but I try to understand them with the book in front of me. The good integration between book and CD-ROM makes this natural. By the way, I even found the classic 1946 Princeton paper "Preliminary Discussion of the Logical Design of an Electronic Computing Instrument" by Burks, Goldstine, and von Neumann on the CD-ROM. It still makes for great reading.

Now in a completely updated and substantially revised second edition, "Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide To British Genealogy And Family History by Mark Herber continues to be an invaluable and indispensable genealogical reference guide for novice and experienced genealogists alike whose researches require them to access the voluminous British archives of records and other published resources. Originally published in 1997 in association with the Society of Genealogists based in London, this new and expanded edition of "Ancestral Trails" provides an informed and informative guide to what records and published sources are available, how to access them, how to analyze what they archive; how to use the divers 'finding-aids' and indexes. "Ancestral Trails" also shows how to obtain and process information from living relatives, how to construct family trees, how to utilize the preserved records of birth, marriage, death, and other census data. Also covered are such sources as wills, parish records, civil and ecclesiastical court records, poll books, and property records. "Ancestral Trails" is a core addition to any professional genealogy library reference collection and a 'must' for aspiring genealogists having to deal with British source material.

The field of genealogical research in Great Britain is littered with literature. This scepter'd isle has a long history of excellently preserved source records, an enthusiastic community of genealogists, and a wealth of authors willing to guide the enthusiasts through the records. Given this background, it is difficult to imagine that a new work on British genealogical research could quickly become a new "standard reference". Mark Herber has made his Ancestral Trails just such a standard. Ancestral Trails, written in association with the Society of Genealogists in the United Kingdom, is 688 pages of top quality writing, organization, and completeness of coverage. It takes a textbook approach to the subject of genealogical records, leading the reader from the more basic sources such as civil registration and parish records on to the more specialized such as military and educational records. Far from being dry in style, the author uses well chosen examples from his own years of researching his ancestors to explain how the record types in question can be used by the family historian. Some authors who use examples from their own research can detract from their work by doing so. In contrast, Mark Herber has made his personal examples of real research situations enhance the text because of their relevancy to his topics. Nearly one hundred examples of significant records are included as illustrations. Researchers experienced in using British records as well as beginners will find this encyclopedic guide useful. The author covers newly-available resources such as the 1881 Census Index and provides excellent research advice and several clever shortcuts to using this new finding aid. Those researchers with Essex ancestors will be doubly blessed by this book as many of Mark Herber's examples are from research in that county. The extensive bibliography really sets this book apart as a new standard reference. Almost one thousand bibliographic references are conveniently referenced from within the book's 30 chapters. Researchers familiar with particular record types will be pleasantly surprised to find Ancestral Trails referring to an exhaustive list of other works on the topic. The author's writing style lucidly describes the important considerations when working with a record type and seamlessly refers the reader to the more specialized works of other authors for greater detail. Ancestral Trails is a thick and thorough tome and an excellent addition to the research knowledge of anyone with British ancestry.

This is simply the best manual of English genealogy ever published. Let's hope any upcoming edition acknowledges the existance of the Internet.

"No other publication gives such comprehensive and up-to-date guidance on tracing British ancestry and researching family history. Illustrated throughout with more than ninety examples of the major types of records, and with detailed lists of further reading, Ancestral Trails will be the essential companion and guide for all family historians." Anthony Camp, Director, Society of Genealogists.

This excellent publication was created in association with the prestigious Society of Genealogists, perhaps akin to the US' National Genealogical Society. The author Mark D. Herber is a solicitor who began researching his family in 1979. He has successfully traced some of his lines back to around 1580.

Indeed I was impressed with this 674 page "encyclopedia." (Quotes added for emphasis!) The bibliography alone is twenty-two pages. My experience with English records has been limited to early parish records in Devon and some Court of Canterbury wills, so I was most eager to have the opinion of three friends who do extensive English, Welsh and Irish research, and indeed are successful in helping others make strong headway in their research. You can imagine the excitement at our local LDS Family History Center as they poured over the book with uncustomary enthusiasm!

The consensus is that ANCESTRAL TRAILS is as definitive of British research as Ancestry's THE SOURCE is of American genealogy. Lew, a 1st generation Brit, was impressed with the chapter on military records, and made a note to order the book forthwith. Elsie, born of English immigrant parents, had been inquiring previously about manor court records and found this publication provided more than she had found in explanation elsewhere. I was impressed with the 94 illustrations, including typical certificates of vital records, representative samples of wills and the like.

Also impressive is the attention given to beginning genealogists. Basics such as pedigree charts, personal recollections & memorabilia, spelling, handwriting, dates, obtaining certificates and organization of collected materials are discussed with ample illustrations.

Additional chapters include: General Problems Encountered by Researchers, Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Census Returns, Parish Registers, Churchyards and Cemeteries, Directories, Combining Sources, Archives, Libraries and Family History Societies, Wills and Administrations,Catholic, Nonconformist and Jewish Records, Marriage and Divorce, Maps, Land Registrations and Property Records, Local and Social History, Newspapers and Elections,Parish and Town Records, Records of the Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, Records of Shipping and Seaman, Records of Trades, Professions and Business, Oaths, Taxation and Insurance Records Records of Civil and Ecclesiastical Courts, Records of the Criminal Courts and Criminals, Education, Peerages, the Gentry, Famous People and Heraldry, Further Property Records, Tracing Migrants and Living Relatives, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands Immigration, Emigration and Investigation Abroad

Appendices included essential information under the following topics: Codes for areas and volumes in the GRO Indexes, Indexes to other GRO records, Chapman County Codes, Seize Quarters of Bessie Maude Symes, Extracts from the Bullied and Keates family trees, Public Record Office Information Leaflets, County Record Offices & other archives, Commencement dates of the reigns of English and British monarchs, Wills & Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury: A Summary of Finding-Aids, Records of the Court of Chancery: A summary of Finding-Aids.

Owing only to its tiny print, you'll need a magnifying glass in addition to your bi-focals to glean all that's contained in Ancestral Trails. On the best advice of our resident "British Research Gurus," I most heartily recommend this book.

DearMYRTLE

Daily Genealogy Columnist

Genealogy Forum on America Online

Keyword: dearmyrtle

I checked this book out from my local library because I felt that I was floundering with my British research. This book answered all the questions that I had, and much, much more. I'm not going to write a long review of this because there are a couple of other excellent reviews here already. I just wanted to add that there is a second edition of this book, from January 2004, available in England, but unfortunately not in the US yet. Because the internet is so valuable to those of us trying to do research from abroad, I decided to spend the extra money and order the newer edition from www.amazon.co.uk . It is more expensive, but it seemed worth it to me to have the most recent edition. If that's important to you, check the publication date on the edition advertised.

Despite the naysayers, Bennett has been proven right by the recent behaviour of the Anglosphere in two major events. First in the Iraq war most of the Anglosphere banded together to get rid of a vicious genocidal tyrant, while more recent events showed how the Anglosphere could band together to help a region in dire need of aide. Much like Clash of Civilisations, Bennett has written a book that will be refered in positive terms for many years to come.

For more than two decades, Jim Bennett has been one of the country's most acute thinkers on the frontiers of technology and cultural/political trends. The Anglosphere Challenge shows the strengths of civil society responses to growing state incapacities and failures. Emerging "networked commonwealths", he foresees, will advance universal values of freedom while accelerating innovation across new realms of human endeavor. This book is a storehouse of wisdom and hope for not only for those in the Anglosphere, but for people of all heritages and backgrounds seeking to live in an open world.

James Bennett popularized the term "Anglosphere", which refers to those communities which speak English and share in the cultural practices and institutions inherited from England, e.g. common law, parliamentary democracy, highly developed civil society, private rather than communal notions of property, entrepreneurial rather than state-led economic development, relative openness to innovation and to immigration. These characteristics have been developing in the English-speaking world for at least a millennium, and represent a distinct sub-civilization within the larger West. Bennett draws on the work of Alan MacFarlane and David Hackett Fischer to demonstrate the uniqueness of the civilization which developed in England and which it in turn passed on to its daughter polities, most importantly the United States. This Anglosphere civilization has been the path-breaker for modernity, initiating modern democratic institutions and the industrial and subsequent economic revolutions. Note that Bennett does not offer this analysis in any spirit of triumphalism. This is not the old "Whig theory" of history, since Bennett correctly sees that these developments were the result of fortunate historical contingency. Bluntly, those of us who live in the Anglosphere are not better than anybody else, just lucky to be here. Bennett predicts that the Anglosphere will continue to be the cutting edge civilization in terms of economic and political developments into the future. In particular, the existence of the Web and cheap air and sea transport has already created a unitary Anglophone economic and cultural space, which will develop further as the highest value-added products become increasingly information-intensive, placing a premium on linguistic and cultural commonalities. Bennett offers predictions concerning the institutional form that this new economic reality will call forth, which he labels a "network commonwealth". Bennett believes that this future political form, and a dense and robust underlying civil society, present the best hope for coping with the hazards presented by emerging technology, and obtaining the maximum benefits of that technology. Moreover, Bennett offers numerous, concrete policy proposals to further the development of this emerging Anglosphere network commonwealth, in the areas of trade, immigration, defense procurement and military cooperation. Bennett's book is the result of years of reflection on these historical and contemporary issues. This short paragraph does not even scratch the surface of a book that has many novel insights and profound ideas, and which opens up numerous lines for further inquiry. Five stars is really not a sufficient rating. This is one of the three or four most important books I have read in recent years to understand the world we are living in, why it is the way it is, where we are going, and how we can create a future worth living in.

Any serious discussion of the central role of English traditions in Canada is fraught with twin perils: mindless claims of racism/imperialism and founding-nation chauvinism. The Anglosphere Challenge is something very different. It's an exciting exploration of a new way to look a modern global culture and its Canadian flavour, keeping both perils at bay. Leading off with a chapter on the dynamic and converging nature of modern technology (cf. Vernor Vinge's The Singularity), the author makes the case that cultural dynamism and flexibility will be at a premium in the 21st century. His claim for the future pre-eminence of the common law countries (irrespective of their citizens' personal origins) is based on the Anglosphere's history of adapting successfully (and first) to technological and political change.

Bennett shows how respect for the individual, and the effective separation of religious, political and economic powers have a very deep roots in the English-speaking world. Before the creation of Canada and the United States. Before the English Civil War. Before the Protestant Reformation. Perhaps even before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. In the roots of the English common law, we can find the fundamental principle of equal treatment before the law: male or female, lord or commoner. A virtuous circle ensued, freeing individuals from the constraints and predation of the powerful ... in ways impossible in continental Europe let alone other parts of the globe.The history (as opposed to the myths) of this era are eye-opening. And the great strength of the Anglosphere Challenge is the firm grounding in modern scholarship. The book's annotated bibliography is a gem.

Using the metaphor of concentric rings, Bennett sees the Anglosphere as an inner ring (the industrialized common law countries), an outer ring of countries strongly influenced by English language and law, and finally, a periphery of countries exposed to the language and law indirectly, through the international institutions (in trade and politics). A second major contribution is Bennett's outline of the "cultural nations" of the Anglosphere. These "cultural nations," often identified in the turmoil of 17th and 18th century England, cross modern national borders. They provide a more effective tool for understanding the politics and behaviour of modern Anglosphere countries. Finally, Bennett offers the term "network commonwealth" to describe the economic, social, and intellectual connections between Anglosphere nations that will largely overtake (but not replace) the current sovereign nations. Anglosphere nations like Canada, especially in the Internet era, will find themselves quickly and easily co-operating to handle the innovations and challenges of the 21st century.

Canadians will find their past, present and future discussed in the chapters of this book. Our lives have been profoundly affected by the two titans of the English-speaking world, the UK and US. Bennett provides a cultural context for this influence that readers from this country will find fascinating. A book that will make you think. A companion website offers sneak peek at the book plus updates on concepts and sources: anglospherechallenge.com.

James C. Bennett explores some reasons for why English speaking names with an English heritage have done so well over the last couple centuries, and why they will continue to do well. The author points out that history is a pretty good indicator of the future. If we can understand why certain cultures have been successful, we may be able to understand which cultures will do well in the future.

This book is full of interesting ideas and observations. One of them is there are two types of problems, bounded and unbounded. Bounded problems have clear answers. A simple bounded problem is what is "2 + 2" with a clear answer of four. There are more complex bounded problems, like how much fuel with a 747 use carrying 187 people from Chicago to Atlanta. The problem is well defined, and the issues are all pretty much all known. Unbounded problems do not have clear definitions, let alone clear answers, at least in the beginning. Which video format is going to dominate, VHS or Beta? Who is going to win the next presidential election? What recent technological developments will become important in the future? This reminded me of "The Wisdom of Crowds" by James Surowiecki. James Surowiecki says that under certain situations a large group of people can make better decisions than a few experts. James Bennett points out that often the private sector does a much better job of dealing with unbounded problems, and that the culture of the Anglosphere tends to promote private sector solutions.

Another interesting idea builds on the economic principle that specialization with trade allows greater economic development. If an individual had to depend on everything he produced he would have to be a subsistence farmer and/or hunter. But as families, communities, cities, and nations develop, along with the ability to trade with others, people can increase their productiveness by focusing on specific areas of interest or expertise. Adam Smith used showed the value of this when talking about a group of manufactures who each focused on a single step in the production of sewing needles. James Bennett says that by increasing the level of trade and trust to include other nations, there can be greater economic growth. Those nations in the Anglosphere have an easier time trading with each other, which allows even more specialization. It is hard to trade with those who you don't trust, or those who have different cultural expectations. So the Anglosphere has a great advantage in having a large network to work with.

The book explores the idea of separating physical space, from transportation space, and from communication space. We measure the physical space in miles. But transportation space is largely influenced by how easy it is to move from one place to another. Historically moving by ships over rivers and the ocean was much cheaper than traveling by land. Communication space really started to become its own space with the development of the telegraph, and exploded with the development of the internet. Now it is almost as easy to communicate with someone anywhere in the world, as it is to talk with your neighbor.

James Bennett says that in general those with an English Heritage, or who are largely influenced by Anglo ideas, are more flexible and will be able to react quicker than European Nations, Japan, China, India, and so on. They have a greater ability to trust each other, and take initiative on a personal level. His sees the development of organizations which support each other that transcend national boundaries. There are a number of libertarian ideas here.

If you are into books which explore the big picture and deal with new and fascinating ideas, this is a good book to read. I don't think everything James Bennett talks about here will happen, but he does provide some interesting insights into what may happen over the next fifty years. This is not a quick read. This book is meant to be read slowly and thoughtfully, and pondered over time. This book is well worth reading

Great debates on the most recent issues in animal law. A great resource for Animal Law instructors.

Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions explores the human - animal relationship from a range of perspectives. It aims to assist in the fundamental rethinking of the relationship between human beings and nonhuman animals. The book consists of fourteen chapters, each written by a different author. It is this format of the text, drawing on an impressive list of contributors, which makes it so distinctive and significant. The chapters flow surprisingly well, in some cases engaging with each other's arguments. While the great proportion of the book is concerned with positive reforms towards the increased recognition of the interests of nonhuman animals it does, rather uniquely, contain contributions from both sides of the animal rights debate.

Those acquainted with recent animal rights literature will be familiar with some of the contributors' work. Steven Wise contributes an excellent chapter which is adapted from his book "Drawing the Line", while Gary Francione's chapter draws on ideas mapped out in his groundbreaking work "Animals, Property and the Law". In addition to the contributions of the more prominent authors, the book contains a number of stimulating and fresh ideas from thinkers who haven't published extensively in this field.

The book represents a comprehensive exploration of the major contemporary animal rights debates. The chapters on law and policy reform are particularly engaging and insightful, with a number of the contributors putting forward substantial and compelling suggestions for reform.

It is certainly not an introductory type of text. The book is distinctly academic in tone, as one would expect given the overwhelming majority of the contributors are professors from prestigious universities.

A highly recommended read and a valuable reference for those interested in theoretical debates on animal rights. It's a timely book for the animal rights movement representing a compendium of fresh ideas and a roadmap for legal reform.

From an animal rights persective, this book is inconsistent.

The reader will be treated, however, to a new voice -- that of Catharine MacKinnon, in a fascinating piece named "Of Mice and Men: A Feminist Fragment on Animal Rights." In it, Professor MacKinnon asks if "missing the misogyny in animal use and abuse" hinders animal rights successes.

We live in a culture that's largely comfortable thinking that what humans do to nonhuman bodies does not matter - at least what's done in regular, institutionalized ways.

As female people have often been defined and valued in terms of the use of their bodies and their reproductive functions, it is logical that nonhuman-rights advocates could find a message of value in the social movement for women's equality.

Regarding the treatment of nonhumans and the treatment of women, MacKinnon notes that the "denial of social hierarchy in both relations is further supported by verbiage about love and protection" as though it mitigates the domination. Often, rights for women have been denied because love and protection have been considered good enough. Could we not say the same about the animals we have domesticated?

If so, then the animal advocacy movement richly needs the contribution that MacKinnon's feminist fragment provides.

Nussbaum and Sunstein have put together something very special. This book mixes the standard animal rights fare of Singer, Wise, and Francione with exciting new contributions by thinkers like Catharine MacKinnon, Richard Posner, as well as Sunstein and Nussbaum themselves. The book is well edited, with the various chapters flowing from issue to issue, and responding to each others arguments. The work explores not only what we own to animals, but also what practical approaches might deliver. The animal rights issue show not merely to be a "for or against" issue. Instead, we see a nuanced debate about the place of animals in theory and practice.

This book is essential to academic audiences, but should also prove accessible to general audiences. I suspect this will become a standard text for future animal rights courses.

MY RATING SYSTEM:

* - if you have to chose between torture and reading this book, then you might want to consider reading the book - although it depends on just how severe the torture would be.

** - if you've lost your job and have quite a bit of free time on your hands, and don't have anything else better to do, then you might want to consider reading this book; don't expect to learn much or really be entertained. It will however, help you pass the time until your death.

*** - meh...I'm indifferent. Reading this book will not alter your life in any significant way, yet it is not so horrendously dreadful that your taking the time to read it will be a complete waste of time.

**** - Good book to great book zone here. You should probably read this book if you have some spare time. This book could be interesting, entertaining, or informative.

***** - Outstanding book! Make time to read this book - you'll learn or be entertained or intrigued. The book might even be good enough to provide original or helpful insights into the world that we live in.

REVIEW:

Sunstein and Naussbaum have put together a fantastic collection of essays on the controversial and often incompletely understood topic of animal rights. This book is a must for any self-proclaimed animal rights proponents and, I think, a very informative read for anyone interested in the subject of the interaction between humans and animals. While the essays can, at times, be dense and academic (after all, there are some real intellectual heavyweights who have contributed to this book), I found most of the essays to be well worth the time and energy required to go through them.

The book starts out with several essays on issues that form a theoretical or principled debate on the issue of the role and appropriateness of animal rights, often drawing on and developing philosophical arguments to support a variety of competing positions. Generally, the essays search for the existence of a foundation for 'animal rights', or, as some of the authors might argue, if one exists at all. The middle section of the book tended to focus the more practical foundations and implications of a system of animal rights, including an informative essay by David J. Wolfson and Mariann Sullivan on the restricted application of animal cruelty laws in the North American agribusiness sector. The final essays of the book tend to be theoretical prescriptive explorations, examining where animal rights developments might progress in the future.

In summary, I think that this was an extremely valuable book, and definitely one that I will find myself returning to several times in the future.

This cookbook takes you back to the 1950's and 60's when life moved at an easier pace and families gathered around the table. The family stories laced throughout the book are great; who made the best chicken pie and who made made the best creamed potatoes.

I think today we forget that in prior years people made the best of what was in season, what they managed to catch, and what they had on hand. This book provides a snapshot of how one family did it. A number of the recipes remind me of those I grew up with.

Well worth a spot on your cookbook shelf.
David Stahr

This cookbook is great. Easy to follow recipes which use everyday ingredients sprinkled with heartwarming stories. LOVE IT!!!

This book was bouhgt as a Christmas gift. It arrived promptly and in excellent condition. She loved the book.

I couldn't stop smiling while paging through this book. There are recipes, yes, and if you grew up in the 50s or 60s, they'll bring you back to your childhood, but it is so full of family memories told by all four sisters, and loving tributes to their Mom and Dad and to each other, that you will feel warm and happy, and then will want to run to the kitchen to make a Jello "salad." What a wonderful family scrapbook the Sanvidge sisters created, and how lucky we are to get a glimpse into their childhood. Highly recommended!

This is a great cookbook filled with very traditional recipes you almost can't find in cookbooks today. In addition, it is like taking a step back in time to life like it used to be. It is a very entertaining book to read and my eleven year old daughter loved reading it as well. Well done!!

I bought this for my 5-year-old daughter and she loves it. It has many classic children's science projects, like making a tornado using two soda bottles, and all of the projects use common materials and are easy to do. They are just right in length and complexity for her age.

This book was excellent. I searched many bookstores to find it. It was full of exciting science experiments that anyone can do. It can be used in a whole-language curriculum to teach science. I am very excited to use it this year with my kindergarten class. It will reinforce their learning of the ABC's and teach them the wonders of science! I would recommend this book to any early childhood teacher

This book is both entertaining and informative. There are very few childrens science books which can capture the attention of a 4 year old, and still relay meaningful science; this book does. All of the experiments have fun poems to go along with them, and there is additional information for more in-depth scientific thought at the back of the book. The experiments are fun and easy to do. Overall, it's an excellent first science book.

My five year old loves the idea of doing science experiments, so I have purchased three or four science books geared for kids her age. This is the best one that I have seen. The activities are fun and easy to do. Almost all of them require only materials that are readily available in the average household. Most take under half an hour from start to finish. The reason that I gave the book only four stars and not five is that the poems themselves are not great. Bottom line: the science experiments are terrific, but the book is not a great read.

I just went to the California Kindergarten Conference and saw this book presented. There is a poem and a science project for each letter of the alphabet. They are simple, hands-on experiments and very affordable for the K-1 teacher.

I first became acquainted with Michael Green's marvelous book when I picked up a used paperback in a book store in Long Beach, Calif. in 1979. In the years since, I have read the book at least two dozen times -- always thinking that THIS TIME I'll be able to peruse it with a straight face, yet always, inevitably, dissolving into gales of helpless, tearful laughter before ten pages have turned. This is not only the funniest book ever written about acting, but one of the funniest books on ANY subject in the English language. Many books dicuss the "high end" of acting -- character, subtext, internal monologue, etc. But none of them offer pointers on what to do if a fellow actor muffs his lines, or if you need to get off (or on) stage and the door won't open. Green fills that void in the most diverting manner imaginable. If you've always thought the phrase "I laughed till I cried" was only a figure of speech, then this is the book for you. By the way, I have it on good (though unconfirmed) authority that Michael Green is the son of the late Hermione Gingold, the legendary British character actress

This tome is full of useful information for the coarse actor, including "How to Steal the Scene, Even though Unconscious," "How to be a mere Spear-Carrier, and still ruin a scene," "Basic Makeup Tips for the Coarse Actor," and the useful diagram on set building "The Human Cleat." Anyone who's ever been in a performance of "Arsenic and Old Lace" will appreciate this book -- as will anyone who's ever sat through the show. (Not that I'm slamming "Arsenic and Old Lace," I think it holds up remarkably well.)

Should be required reading in all theatre coarses. Oops, I mean courses...

In one memorably ruined production this was the director's obsession, so he gave the actor playing Lear tiny, birdlike movements.

Alas! The set designer strongly disagreed and burst forth with a magnificently bare stage relieved only by a giant phallic monument at the center.

His vision being that King Lear was: "A Man Lost in a Wilderness. "

They never did reach an agreement.

But, as Green points out, it really wouldn't have mattered, because if one is brilliant enough to be obsessed about Lear being 'A Man Trapped In a Tube', neither Shakespeare, the cast, nor the audience has much of a fighting chance. . .

-----------------------------------------------------------------

This book is a deliciously hilarious spoof of the British stage, with heavy emphasis on 'cultural' amateur societies. It is a satire on producing as well as acting, directing,--and the gurus who teach it.

But in a wonderful twist of irony, it is now required reading with many Theater Arts depatrments in universities around the world.

( "Do NOT go to acting school!"--- Eleonora Duse )

As well it should be. Filled with outrageously improbable anecdotes , it nevertheless hits home too well for anyone in the profession.

It is a true masterpiece of ham, which offers marvelous advice for directors on how to succeed through obscurantist doublespeak.

No director, for example, should EVER say anything that remotely sounds 'practical' such as : "Well, frankly, I have to get 'em to speak up. "

Far, far better, according to Green, is to say things that sound profound but mean nothing, such as : "I'm not interested at all whether the audience hears my actors, but---it is vital they should hear them thinking. "

Heavy . . .

( "If a director writes in his notes: 'The Oedipal complex is obvious in this scene, must discuss with the queen'; the sooner he is packed and thrown out of the theater, the better it'll be for everyone! "-- George Bernard Shaw )

Shaw has an ally in Green who, based on personal experience, is convinced that the director's primary job is to weed out the obvious psychotics in the cast during the first week of rehersals.

As to actors left on board Green believes he is far more practical than Stanislavsky, whom he does not admire on the grounds that 'these method people are so vague.' He advises actors should carry a chart (1. Speak Slower. 2. Speak Faster, etc.) for whenever the director goes off into interpretive raptures, Oedipal or not.

Simply ask him to point to which number he wants.

Ah! And who could possibly forget the classic: "How To Steal a Scene Though Unconscious" which puts anything ever written by Constantin to shame. . .

An very, very funny book, which suprisingly does contain unexpected gems of commonsense.

Five stars are not enough.

Hi all. This book is hilarious! I bought it to learn what NOT to teach my acting students, and it really helped. And it was a great read - the author is British, so there is plenty of dry wit, and the anecdotes had me in hysterics. I learned a lot, and laughed out loud every chapter. How can you miss? Sincerely, ElizaBeth

I first read this book as a teenager, while spending much of my spare time in amateur theatre, and have become Green's slave for life.

Whole segments of the book are quotable, and painfully - hilariously - familiar to anyone who has ever been involved with the stage, paid or unpaid. I remember reading excerpts to my brother over the phone, while both of us cried because we were laughing so hard ... because although these are not your own experiences, they might as well be.

Every actor - amateur or professional - will have come across a coarse actor in their lives: somebody who "knows his lines, but not the order in which they come", leaving everyone floundering; the blatant scene stealer who takes everyone's eyes away from the real action; the sets that collapse when they shouldn't, or don't collapse when they should.

I could go on. But you'd be far better served by reading the book instead, and keeping a box of tissues handy to wipe away the tears of hilarity.

This book is very different from other astrological books. In fact the Magi Society claims to have done their research on thousands of horoscopes (without taking into account the hour of birth !). I find this a very positive approach since not all people know their time of birth and the research makes it possible to come to certain very innovative conclusions. In this book you will find a lot of forgotten techniques (the importance of declinations and midpoints thereof - see also the books of the German astrologer R. Ebertin). I have followed some of their rules and have found them useful and very true too. This is a book you will often read again, and again. There is a lot in it and this book is not for novices - though it reads like a novel. The Magic Society's approach on astrology may change your look on astrology in a very positive way. They may be right to have found a method which proves that astrology really works ! I can't wait to read all their other books too !

"Astrology Really Works" presents a new approach to an age old study. It demonstrates a new technique for studying charts, especially when the time of birth is missing. Best of all, the writers only include information they can prove statistically without debunking old information that may be valid but is not proveable at this time. The Magi Society shows a healthy respect for ancient astrology but is focused on what can be proven by modern methods. Since so many people don't know and cannot obtain their time of birth, this is an extremely useful and promising technique. The method and new chart construction can be used with or without an accurate birth time. I did not give the book 5 stars because the writing style was a little childlike. Despite this shortcoming, I would strongly recommend the book to Astrologers and to skeptics. The Society states and proves its case well. I think established Astrologers will begin to take Magi methods seriously as they begin to open their minds to the possibility that there can be something new under the Sun.

This book is destined to become an Astrology classic. It lifts Astrology to a new dimension (literally) and holds the reader spellbound in the process. This is one of those books I couldn't put down - so much so I'm on my second reading now, and wish it were available in hard cover! If you don't know Astrology, it is a good introduction, plus introduces powerful Magi Astrology concepts. A dynamite book.

This book has been based on what could be called observational astrology and takes the occult out of of what once was a mathmatical science. It along with the Magi Emphemeris and there latest book "Key to Success in Love and Money" is based on proving that observational research and not myths/occult is what astrology is all about and it works!

I read this book after browsing it a few times. I really like the way it teaches one how to look at an ephemeris to see where, exactly, one has more power to use as governed by these Magi Astrologers. The historical factual data presented here is endlessly interesting and allows one to do his own deducing. I really think this book is one of the best kept secrets(?) of this modern age. Anyone who reads it cover to cover will be blessed with great intelligence and wisdom. It should be required reading in school. I swear I did not write this book and I do not work for Hay House Publishing. I am just a very in-depth person who enjoys analysing things to the finest detail, this book is tailor made to my mind. If I knew this book 10 years ago, who knows who much MORE intelligent I would be.

This book was in the new book section of our local library. While my 3 year old was feeding books, one at a time, into the book return, my 1 year old pulled it off the shelf. I picked it up and while the boys were enjoying the library collection of books and puzzles I started reading a passage here and a passage there. Within 24 hours I had read the entire thing (including the acknowledgements). That is how compelling this book is. The writing is so sensitive and brilliant and the subject matter is so eye-opening. I am going to buy a copy for my doctor, my midwife, and everyone I know who works in the health field. Can I buy this book by the case?

I think this book is right on and makes everyone think. Families should have the final say in medical care for anyone in their family when they are unable to. For some people out here medicine has gone to far. Doctors should not have the ability to force medical care and sometimes expermential treatment on anyone.

Sometime life is about quality not quanity.

I was a premature baby myself. I was born in the early 1960s, when NICUs were just getting started. I was six weeks premature and weighed five pounds. That's about four times more than many of the babies profiled in the book. Today, of course, a 32-week preemie like myself is hardly worth mentioning. I have no after-effects except possibly my tendency to lung infections.

This book profiles a number of "miracle babies" who were saved after being born very prematurely (at 22-26 weeks gestation) or who were very sick at birth and saved by dramatic surgical intervention and high-tech care. The point made is that for many of these babies, "success" as measured by the NICU staff, usually defined as a living baby who goes home, is quite different from what the babies' parents experience. The doctors and nurses don't have to deal with life-long care for children who are blind, deaf, retarded, autistic, or have cerebral palsy. The NICU staff also don't have to deal with family strain, resentful siblings, bankruptcy, and divorce resulting from the constant pressure of dealing with a severely handicapped child. The parents do. Yes, there are some babies who grow up to be happy and normal. But the percentage of lucky babies is smaller than most people imagine.

Today the treatment of ever-teenier preemies has become an industry in itself. The price to society has mounted steadily. Yes, it's only money. But when a million dollars is spent keeping a single preemie alive, that million dollars has to come from somewhere. If you cut doctor visits from 20 minutes to 15 minutes or reduce the number of nurses on a hospital floor, which are some of the standard cost-cutting measures, it takes a very, very long time to reach a million dollars. The cost of neonatal intensive care is one of the major reasons why health care is so expensive in developed countries, and particularly in the U.S. Health care in the U.S. is trapped in a spiral of diminishing returns as costs climb ever higher. My husband and I spend a very substantial chunk of our incomes on health insurance for us and our son. Are we getting our money's worth? I don't think so.

It is long past time for doctors to begin thinking about the place medicine should have in society, particularly high-tech medicine. High-tech medicine in general has surprisingly small benefits compared to its appalling costs. (For some specific examples of this, such as cardiac bypass surgery, see Nortin Hadler's book, "The Last Well Person.") There are plenty of countries around the world who have public health as good as, or in some cases even better than, the U.S., but pay a lot less for it. Having someone there to hold your hand when you are sick, which is the sort of touch usually eliminated for cost-cutting reasons in U.S. hospitals, is actually cheaper than high-tech medicine and is frequently more effective.

This book should be required reading for all expectant parents, who deserve to know about the hell that could be in store for them should their baby be born sick or early and receive the full panoply of high-tech treatment. Doctors and nurses who work in an NICU, a labor and delivery unit, or who deal with obstetrics should also read it.

An outstanding, objective look at NICU history and philosophy, and a highly recommended backgrounder for anybody with a baby in the NICU or who works in a NICU. Once again, I wish I'd had it when my son was born, and I also wish I'd written it!

As a mother to two preemies, born at 25 weeks gestation, I found Ms. Guyer's book to be an accurate portrayal life in the NNICU and life after the NNICU. The majority of preemies do end up disabled. The outcomes presented in this book are accurate portrayals of the vast majority of children who are born with Extremely Low Birth Weights. All parents-to-be, especially those who are at risk of delivering prematurely should read this book. It should be required reading for every medical student and resident.

Barefoot Gen Volume Two picks up where volume one leaves Gen just after the explosion of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. It a gripping and very painful story of survival in the fist terrible time after the bomb devastated Hiroshima. For those that survived the bomb and the deadly radiation, life has now become a desperate fight for survival in a harsh and brutal world. If you have read Volume One, you cannot skip this one, just as you have to read Volume three and four too.

Volume 1 & 2 of Nakazawa's famous comic series about a boy called 'Gen' and his life in Hiroshima during the WWII and soon after the atomic bomb. The first two volumes of this series are probably the most important ones. After I read the first two volumes, I just had to lend them to everyone I knew. If you read this story, you'll realise how silly to hear some popular opiniton 'Dropping two atomic bombs in Japan was necessary to end the war'. Nakazawa says that each and every event is true. You'll see, for example, that two young brothers fight against each other for a little grain of rice. The bombs were dropped onto civilians in the middle of the two cities, and, in Hiroshima alone, 100,000 people, including western prisoners of war, were killed instantly, and the pain they suffered from afterwords was tremendous. The way some of Gen's family members, including a new born baby sister, were slowly dying is simply too sad to look at. But the reality is that it actually took place and was caused by human hands.
I sincerely hope that many people will find an opportunity to read this book at least once in their life-time, and I strongly believe that this book will enlighten the whole world with its message: 'what really happens when a nuclear bomb is dropped onto humanity', which hasn't really been talked about in history books for some reason. But I think it's time to face reality.

Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen: The Day After (New Society, 1988)

The story of Barefoot Gen, spunky atomic bomb survivor, continues in this second volume of the four-part series. It's not a stretch to predict that how you feel about The Day After will probably reflect how you felt about Barefoot Gen, without much variance.

The Day After (which, in fact, covers the next two days) opens just after the end of Barefoot Gen, and is concerned entirely with the survival of Gen, his mother, and his baby sister Tomoko. Gen's task during this time is to find food for the family, and this quest takes him on a number of small side adventures the present a much larger picture of the greater Hiroshima area after the bomb than the first book provided of Hiroshima before the bomb. Gen meets a number of different people, helps some, and learns that even after the bomb, when everyone around him is shrouded in misery and horror, the banality and prejudice around him doesn't disappear-- in fact, people are worse than they were beforehand. Nakazawa, as is his wont, tells us all this in his stories, and never allows his messages to get in the way of his storytelling. Ironically, Barbara Reynolds' introduction to this edition is a perfect contrast to Nakazawa's story; it's awfully-written, ham-handed, flat-out wrong (Reynolds harps on about American denial of responsibility for Hiroshima, and she's writing ten years or more after the release, and vast popularity, of John Hersey's Hiroshima) polemic whose sole purpose in inclusion, it seems, is to highlight how subtle Nakazawa is. Skip the introduction. Or, if you're a completist, read the book first and come back to the introduction afterwards, so it won't taint you.

This is very good stuff. Well worth your time. *** ½

Barefoot Gen: The Day After is volume two of a four part series. It tells the story of the day after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima as seen through the eyes of seven year old Gen Nakaoka. Based on the real-life experiences of the author, Gen, his mother, and his newborn sister face the horrors of the day after the bomb. They have no food or shelter and are surrounded by the dead and dying. Even the soldiers sent in to gather and burn the dead bodies are succumbing to the radiation sickness and dying. No one understands what is happening and there is no one to turn to. Gen goes in search of food for his mother whose breast milk has dried up from malnutrition. Alone he faces the horror of the devastation and the destitution of the people of Hiroshima. This the hardest of the four books to read because the carnage of the day after the bomb is almost beyond belief. Gen's compassion, humanity, and determination makes this an inspiring book about the strength of the human spirit. Although the graphic scenes may turn some people off, this is still an important book for its message on the dangers of nuclear war.

The work has been wonderfully translated from the Japanese original: Hadashi no Gen. It was originally published in serial form in 1972 and 1973 in Shukan Shonen Jampu, the largest weekly comic magazine in Japan, with a circulation of over two million. The drawings are all in black and white. This US edition was published as part of a movement to translate the book into other languages and spread its message. It is a wonderful testimony to the strength of the human spirit and the horrors of nuclear war. There are a few introductory essays at the front of the book that help to put this book into perspective. It is a powerful and tragic story that I highly recommend for anyone interested in the topic.

I stumbled across this graphic novel in a used bookstore, not having any idea the impression it would make on me. This is an incredibly powerful story, very effectively told through the medium of comic art. It is an affirmation of the power of visual media, and an example of how comics can be used for much more than funnies and fantasies. It is also probably the most effective anti-nuclear material I have ever come across.