Industrial Books

While some passages are repetitive, on the whole, this book is very informative. The author leaves nothing to chance and is thorough in his explanation of various methods and how to reproduce them. The explanations by example are flushed out with no assumptions made about user knowledge, which was great in my case because before reading this book, all I knew about SAS is that it existed. Now, I can apply various and powerful statistical techniques on my own. Thanks Prof. Hatcher!

More detailed explanation of every subject discussed. Nothing was assummed. The appendix include vital information for new SAS users.

This is the single best statistics text I've ever read. It's extremely easy to follow, very practical, and gives outstanding examples. Everything is so clearly described in the book that one might call it Factor analysis and SEM for Dummies. I only wish that the book covered nonrecursive SEM models.

Very easy to read. Examples are simple and effective. The book explains the statistical concepts as well as the SAS programming tricks. In fact, the book provides complete code - you will be able to get good amount of analysis done just by copying that code. However, you also need to buy the "The Little SAS Book" if you never used SAS before.

This outstanding book was one of the mainstays for my Ph.D. dissertation. It explain factor analysis and SEM techniques in a clear and effective way, with an hands-on approach that guides the reader during all the data analysis and result interpretation phases.

True to the topic, it transports you right there. Historical and old, but still current.

Written about a South African farm. this book depicts the story of a family and how they interact throughout the book. The most striking dynamic in the book is the relationships of the women in it. It portrays female existence in a realistic light even for today. The story has a lot of character to it, and I would recommend it highly for teachers who want to teach about feminism.

Although I had to read this book for a college class, I would read it again in a second, I feel that I can only gain more and more from this book through rereadings. Its plot is at times disjointed to the style of the author and the message she is attempting to convey, so for those who are looking for a strongly Dickensian or "feel good" read, this is most likely not the book for you right now. But for me, from an analytical and heartfelt standpoint, the subtlety of the book and its beauty and its truth made me tear up a little bit. I'm currently writing a paper on Waldo and his artistic and personal growth throughout the novel, so maybe I'm a little biased, but although Lyndall is an incredibly interesting and advanced character, I think Waldo is often glossed over as merely suffering from a religious crisis of faith, and, being a man, not deserving of attention in this novel of the "New Woman". But Waldo ultimately reaches a place of amazing peace and understanding, and the lives of Waldo and Lyndall intertwined together is truly beautiful.

I thought this book was one of the best books Ive ever read it describes how people feel and view the world from inside themselves but can never express this externally or even realise they are thinking these things themselves.

For me It depicts how inadequate we all are men and women, when it comes to Love, and expressing it and sharing it. it flumoxes us all, Its too big for us, "the chickens had more sense"....pass the worms please.

"Story of an African Farm" is a difficult work to describe. It must be read several times, and carefully pondered before all of its secrets are unlocked.

Ostensibly, the book revolves around the lives of three children (and, later, adults) who live in the Karroo plains of South Africa. The main focus, however, is on two of the characters - Waldo, the earnest and deeply curious son of the German farmkeeper, and Lyndall, the beautiful, outspoken and rebellious orphan who suffers all her life for her ideals.

The book itself is semi-autobiographical. Waldo represents Schreiner's journey from fanatical, childlike faith to bitter skepticism, who reaches a watershed of sorts when he hisses to Lyndall 'There is no God - none!'. Lyndall, on the other hand, embodies Schreiner's frustation with her station as a woman - barred from the upper echelons of society, and her inability to find a mate who is both her intellectual match and willing to accept her as an equal. "I want to love", she whispers to the grave of Waldo's father, "I want something great and pure to lift me to itself."

There are many other themes that flesh out the subtext of this extraordinary book - the tragedy of solitude, that ultimately, all humans are alone in the cosmos. "Dear eyes", the dying Lyndall whispers to her mirror, "they will never part us."

Readers who expect a narrative will be dissapointed. What narrative there is serves only to undersore the book's many themes. Often, the flow of the story is out of sequence, or devoid of context, and deliberately so. Roughly, the book is divided into three sections - the first introduces us to the characters as children, and reveals their innermost thoughts. The second, and shortest section is entitled "Times and Seasons". It is somewhat of a summary of what has gone before, dealing mostly with Waldo's journey from Christian fanaticism to dispairing atheism, and foreshadows some of what is to come. The third, and longest section, covers the lives of the characters as adults, and is by far the most powerful, and moving piece of the book.

The reader who is looking for mindless action is advised to pick up the latest Tom Clancy novel, or whatever passes for literature these days. Those who are willing to put aside all preconceived notions, and have their cherished beliefs challenged are invited to read this book. The search for truth is endless. But this book is a perfect place to begin.

This publication covers all aspects of renewable solar power in the U.S. It takes complex scientific and engineering concepts and brings them down to understandable practical knowledge that all professionals as well as the casual reader seeks.

Any time a project team gets together on the design of renewable energy systems, they will need a common practical project oriented denominator from which to work from--and this is it. Even though the focus is on sustainable solar power, the book never forgets the other renewable energy sources that can be used for sustainable development.

Thank you for the clearest, most concise, & easily understood treatment of a technology whose time has definitely come. Starting with a history & background of solar technology in its previous incarnations, we are quickly brought up to date with workable solutions to many of our current energy challenges. From homes to concert halls & public facilities, the "how-to" of putting these technologies to work is fully explained in crisp paragraphs & bullet items, punctuated by colorful graphs, schematics, photos & charts which clearly illustrate the concepts explained. Examples of successful projects are provided & strategies presented to transition into use of solar power & other forms of renewable energy. When you finish reading this book, I'm sure you will feel as I did that you have a genuine understanding of what technologies are available & how they can work

Amazing, is the most compressive compilation of renewable technologies ever created under one cover. It reads as if you are having a one on one lesson from a favorite professor. In a simple laymen way it exposes the social, economic, and architectural relationships with renewable technologies. A must read for city planners, architects, engineers, and all college students.

We have all intellectuality known that the continued use of fossil fuels has been dumb. But this year the emotional understanding of the situation came closer to home as the cost of home heating has roughly doubled. All of a sudden, sustainable energy, particularly solar power looks a lot more attractive than it did even last year.

In spite of its title, this book is primarily on solar power. To be sure about half the book is on other technologies such as wind, tidal, and so on. But from an architectural standpoint, the technology is more advanced and more easily adapted when it is solar.

This book is not a detailed tutorial on how to install a solar power system, instead it is more of an overall survey of the concepts of how solar power can be utilized in the home and in some commercial/industrial buildings.

Near my house is a new development being built. There is absolutely no attention being made for solar power. So it hasn't quite yet reached the house buying public, but that time is coming. The concepts in this book are reaching mandatory level, maybe next year when the price of heating doubles again.

If there is one point lacking in this book, that is passive home heating. This is cheaper to install, has a very good payback, and can be combined with solar electric in the same building.

The book is quite an accomplishment with an amazing wealth of information- a virtual solar bible. With information about different types of technologies, manufacturing processes, costs, and installation data, it tells everything an architect would ever need to know about solar power. The book is like the graphic standard for solar power technology.

THIS REVIEW IS ALSO BEING USED FOR TEAMSTER POWER WHICH IS A CONTINUATION OF THE STORY PRESENTED HERE. THE POLITICAL POINTS ARE VALID FOR BOTH BOOKS.

ORGANIZE WALMART! ORGANIZE THE SOUTH! These are the slogans which outline the tasks that the American labor movement, particularly the organized trade union movement under the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win Coalition, need to address. With those tasks in mind it was refreshing for this old militant to re-read Farrell Dobbs' analysis of the fight to organize the truckers in the 1930's. This volume, and an earlier one detailing the struggles to organize truckers in Minneapolis, are little handbooks for model labor organizing. Dobbs himself was instrumental in organizing the truckers of Minneapolis in the great strikes in that city in 1934 and as documented here the later, successful organizing of the over the road drivers in the Midwest which created the modern, powerful Teamsters International Union. He was, more importantly, a supporter of what later in the decade became the Socialist Workers Party- American section of the Trotsky-led Forth International.

Whatever else may be true about Dobbs this man could organize workers. Why? The last sentence in the previous paragraph gives the answer. In the modern labor movement it is not enough to be a militant on the picket line but one must also have a political approach to labor actions. With the merging of corporate and governmental interests on the labor question in the modern state militants better think politically. As the December, 2005 unsuccessful struggle of the transport workers in New York City demonstrated militants better know the enemy and his tactics well. Moreover, these days, unlike in the 1930's when it went without question by advanced workers, it is as important to know there is an enemy. On the other hand think what it would be like to have a political militant like Dobbs organizing the drivers of those 7000 trucks that Wal-Mart owns to distribute its merchandise. You get my drift. Read what he has to say carefully.

To even introduce this militant labor leader of the 1930's is to state the fundamental problem of today's labor leaders. They do not exist in the modern labor movement. Yes, there are militants out there in the rank and file but militant leaders are no longer produced and that is the rub. Unlike the strategy of independent political action which underlined Dobbs' work the strategy of today's labor leaders can be summed up in two words- class collaboration. That is a strategy of dependence by the labor movement on the good will of the `friends of labor', essentially the Democratic Party- not to fight for victory in the streets but by what at times amounts to parliamentary cretinism. Just start to organize Wal-Mart seriously or organize the South and militants will quickly see who their `friends' are.

The natural audience for this book are today's labor activists so the reviewer would draw attention to the following issues that Dobbs and his associates had to confront and which militants today will confront in any serious organizing efforts. (1)The role of the labor bureaucracy in limiting the scope of struggle. (2) The role of governmental mediators, courts, legislation and the above-mentioned `friends of labor' in curtailing the struggle. (3) The role of scabs and others, including government troops, who will try to break the up the struggle. On the positive side- the following should be noted; have your own publicity organ to get out your message; organize other labor and pro-labor sources to assist in strike action; anticipate that governmental and corporate sources will try to `freeze' workers out so have your own transport, commissary and medical operations. Finally, in the words of the old Wobblie song by Joe Hill- "Don't Mourn, Organize!!

Las huelgas de 1934 que forjaron el movimiento
sindical industrial en el mediooeste
norteamericano y ayudaron a allanar el camino
para el ascenso del Congreso de Organizaciones
Industriales (CIO), relatadas por un dirigente
central de esas batallas. El primero en una serie de
cuatro tomos sobre el liderazgo de lucha de clases
de las huelgas y campa?as de sindicalizaci?n que
transformaron el sindicato de los Teamsters en gran
parte de esa regi?n en un movimiento social
combativo y se?alaron el camino hacia la acci?n
politica independiente de la clase obrera. Incluye
una nueva introducci?n a la edici?n en espa?ol
por Jack Barnes.

In rereading this book I was struck by what a wonderful thing it was that these rank and file workers were able to change history by creating, out of their struggle, an example of revolutionary unionism. It was wonderful for them and is wonderful for us, because it shows what we can do today. This book also tells the story of how Farrell Dobbs learned that he could trust in both the fighting capacity of the working class and the leadership capabilities of its vanguard. Through powerful examples Dobbs describes the dog-eat-dog viciousness of capitalism and contrasts it with the desire on the part of young fighters to break through the backstabbing and open up a road to workers' solidarity. This book could change your life. Amazon may list this book as unavailable from time to time, but it's always available from the Pathfinder z store. Click on "new and used" at the top of the page.

Dobbs, a leader of the 1934 Minneapolis Teamster strike, which became a citywide general strike, tells its story. The battles with the companies, cops, strike breakers, and their hangers-on are told with masterful effect. It also shows the rising industrial unions as organizations of working-class struggle, taking on the employers and its government. But the real gem at the heart of this tale is how the unfolding struggle transformed ordinary workers, including Dobbs himself, into extraordinary fighters, thinkers, and revolutionary leaders.

Farrell Dobbs was a coal-yard worker and one of the central leaders of the 1934 strikes when in his twenties. Some forty years later Dobbs was the national secretory of the Socialist Workers Party and wrote down an account of his experiences working in the coal yards and becoming involved in unionist movement organizing the drive to establish Teamsters Local 574 and the rise of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) as an effective nation-wide instrument to better working conditions for men and women like himself. Teamster Rebellion is Dobbs account of the hard-fought strike actions which were often all out battles with law enforcement and hired thugs operating as strike breakers in the employ of the exploitative company owners and such big-business fronts as Citizen Alliance. Teamster Rebellion is a welcome and recommended addition to academic and community library American Labor History collections.

John Poole keeps doing it. Doing what you may ask?

He keeps providing our military leaders, of all ranks, excellent books on how to train and develop U.S. forces to deal with threats today and in the future that understand 4th Generation Warfare. I like Tequila Junction because I agree totally with John, that the biggest threat to the U.S. right now is just across our Southern border. Not from the state of Mexico itself, but from the non-state groups, the drug cartels that are starting to dismantle the state of Mexico and are pouring violence across our borders. And as the political leadership of Mexico (not all), but most continue to put self before service, and remain corrupt, the masses will continue to turn toward these groups to provide them a way to live. This, coupled with our own political leaders failing to secure our border, now seven years after 9/11 due to back channel political deals with the government of Mexico, has become the biggest threat to our nation.

But, as John has done in his other excellent books, he outlines the problem, but recommends a workable solution. It will just take leaders of character to implement it. I think so highly of John's books that I made his Last Hundred Yards one of my two main text books when I taught ROTC at Georgetown University (the other one was the Maneuver Warfare Handbook by William S. Lind). I also have pushed all his other books to my multitude of contacts as recommended mandatory reading for their students. In recent visits I have seen his books on the shelves and in the hands of instructors and students at the U.S. Army Infantry School, Military Intelligence School, and in ROTC programs,as well as the United States Military Academy at West Point (all of which are using my book Raising the Bar to teach adaptability).

Keep it up John,
Don

In his latest study, "Tequila Junction", H. John Poole draws together his previous scholarship on 4GW to redirect attention away from Islamic terrorists. As he rightly notes in the opening pages of this latest work, the overwhelming focus on Islamic terrorists and the Middle East has given other powers an opportunity to work in relative security, right in America's own backyard.

H. John Poole's works are remarkable for being forward-looking and counter to the military status-quo in strategic and tactical thinking. This book is no exception. After presenting a well-researched case for the influence of a foreign power in Central and South America, Poole goes on to explain why our conventional "heavy firepower" model would be useless for countering the threat. Never one to present a problem without a solution, Poole then goes on to provide a framework for strategic approaches to 4GW warfare in Latin America, and also several tactical prescriptions. In the chapters of "Tequila Junction" are several low-cost, high-payoff solutions for tactical insertion, exfiltration, tactical intelligence gathering, and community integration and defense.

What is perhaps most useful about the book, however, are not his specific recommendations, but his constant call to strip away overwhelming hierarchal control and give power to the warrior on the ground. Poole has confidence that the common American fighting man--and woman--with the proper training and enough radius of control can win our wars with less cost in blood and treasure. He has ample historical evidence to support his case. Poole's book will no doubt raise some hackles among the traditional military establishment, who are wedded to the doctrines of strict command and control and overwhelming force. Those who disagree with Poole should note that he has consistently been ahead of the curve in predicting the future of 4GW warfare and our military response. "Tequlia Junction" is a sound addition to an already impressive body of scholarship.

LTC Poole was written another stellar book concerning the subtle workings of the Chinese & muslim extremist groups operating in Central & South America. The Chinese are fighting a war against the US "by other means" & in this manner hide behind a smokescreen of narco-gangs such as MS-13 & other drug cartels using their drug sales as a self-supporting mechanism to fund their activities within the continent.
While all eyes & intelligence resources are looking to the East and wondering what will happen in Iraq & Afghanistan now that President-elect Obama is taking office, Chinese intelligence is developing contacts & networks to support anti-American activities in the future. The Chinese plant seeds & understand that they must give them time to grow strong, so as to make it difficult to up-root them later. The Chinese also understand to stay under the radar to the US intelligence community. In this they have done an outstanding job & the tree of insurgency grows.
Only tactics discussed in Poole's new book can the US government hope to prevent the establishment of a threat to the south of it's border.

According to LTC Poole, the way to combat the insurgency in South America is utilizing a police methodology of community policing & getting the local civilian population to understand that the gangs & insurgents will only cause them grief & suffering. Give the local residents the means & support necessary to fend off a smart adversary. Fending off the Chinese & muslim extremist threat at this point does not necessarily mean weapons procurement & killing. As Poole quoted Ghandi in Part Two, "Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat for it is momentary." However I beg to differ with Ghandi since the US was born out of the American Revolution, which was not act of non-violence but bloody resistence to tyranny!
Also an American icon by the name of Al Capone was quoted as saying, "You can get more with a kind word and a gun, than just a kind word." The 4th Generation Counterinsurgency tactics explained by LTC Poole work & work very effectively but keep the big stick around just in case.

Outstanding book...promotes out-of-the-box thinking and reframes developing threats. It addresses a number of issues our government is not paying much attention to:

-issues pertaining to homeland security- Poole explains how migration, uncontrolled illegal immigration, contributes to the destruction of a nation-state. The United States is facing this problem now but our government is almost doing nothing about it.

-addresses how illicit activities related to illegal immigration create a market for narco-trafficking which feeds terrorist financing... making the war on terrorism a self licking ice cream cone in favor of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas (a Shi'i Iranian backed terrorist group and Palestinian backed Sunni terrorist group).

-the activities create exploitable venues for nation-states which desire to diminish/manage United States influence, China being one example...Russia and Iran a possible second. The subversion of society provides competitive nation-states and means to wage war against the United States via nonmilitary means. This is the essence of fourth generation warfare... leveraging society, subverting societies, in order to achieve victory while undermining US technological military superiority. The state is unable to maintain its territorial integrity and eventually begins to wither away.

John is saying the emperor is naked

I just finished reading the latest book by John Poole, "Tequila Junction 4th-Generation Counterinsurgency." The book is outstanding. I could not put it down. It's not a novel, but if your interest or responsibility is security, it reads like one. Tequila Junction is, a lesson on current world events including intelligence gathered on non-Muslim threats to America from Central and South America and their links to China. The first part of the book discusses this intelligence and the possibility of politically oriented and drug funded threats to the United States. Yes back to drugs funding political oriented cartels, gangs or maras (MS13, M18 and others) as well as terrorist groups all cooperating in this effort. Poole talks of the United states narrow focus on Al-Qaeda has had its attention diverted from this part of the world. "Latin America provides the perfect example of what can happen from to narrow a focus. Because so little al-Qaeda activity there, U.S. leaders have all but ignored a potential catastrophe at their doorstep. In a place where the two biggest threats to personal freedom combine (drugs and revolution), they have settled for another of their patented "top-down" solutions. Such a solution will have little chance where the source of the problem has yet to be determined." A reader can easily see based on Americas past and current craving for drugs where the implications at home to security and the law enforcement community are obvious if these threats are allowed to go undisputed.

In the second part of the book, Poole describes the unconventional tactics necessary, the military will need in counterinsurgency efforts. These unconventional methods are indirect and involve methods related to police problem solving and indirect conflict. Poole describes 4GW methods of recognizing the gangs and maras as part of the solution-that it is more important to "convert ones foe than to kill him." He talks about, "wars of the future must be won by some other way than expert snipers and pinpoint bombing. The name of the game is no longer to kill as many foes as possible, but rather to sway the allegiance of as many as possible." This is related to law enforcement methods utilized today that are paramount to forming community partnerships and winning community members over in an effort to curtail crime and solve crime problems here at home. Poole discusses these links between law enforcement and military efforts in a way that is easy to understand.

In the latter parts of the book Poole describes methods to use and how to implement these methods effectively. He talks of leadership and the importance of front line personnel being able to think and make decisions on their own based on the overall mission of winning foes over. The book in its appendix titled "Bottom-up Training" describes better training methods to prepare those whose job it is to solve these serious problems at home and abroad.

Those in Law Enforcement and Homeland Security should read this book. The implications from abroad have in the past and currently effect the climate on the streets here at home. Understanding yourself and the adversary are key to success, our efforts will be greatly enhanced by the information contained in this outstanding resource Tequila Junction.

The books arrived in good condition, which is important because the set is paperback. The series does an excellent job explaining the details of ERD and electron diffraction. Definitely recommended for both undergraduate and graduate level classes.

There are a number of books on TEM, and many are good. However, this book provides a fresh angle for someone learning the subject for the first time because it focuses on what you need to know in order to carry out experiments. Obviously, there is a lot of theory about lenses and scattering. However, there are also dozens of "factoids" such as common lens settings, and most the frequent errors in field emission guns -- and how to handle those errors. My mixing the practical day to day technician's data with the more theoretical underpinning which is my wont, I found it got me up to speed and functional is a very short time. Now experieience with TEMs can carry me the rest of the way.

Great book and fast delivery.
Book is in very good condition and very good service.

Good for both beginners and advanced users. Easy to read and well organized. It looks like there are some mistakes in some equations but it is the best TEM book available.

This 4-volume set of paperback books provides a thorough and readable introduction to the science and practice of TEM (transmission electron microscopy). The text is divided into short, digestable sections, each accompanied by figures, graphs and plots. The equations are numerous, but well explained and presented with minimal derivations but full explanations. The books are divided into concise sections making it easy for the reader to find what he/she needs. Overall, a perfect textbook to learn about TEM, and as a reference for those more experienced in this field.

As a newbie to typography, I found "Type in Use" to be an excellent introduction to the field. It's written in a clear and concise manner; though it's straightforward and easy to understand, I didn't feel as though the information was watered down, either.

At least half of the book consists of pictorial examples, which serve to illustrate the principles laid forth in the text. There's also a good deal of "white space," which demonstrates White's ability to practice what he preaches. As a result, the book isn't too heavy on actual text. Nonetheless, White has an envious ability to express himself succinctly, efficiently, and in as few words as possible - so the lack of actual reading doesn't pose a problem.

The book's divided into twelve chapters, with one each focusing on the following topics: text; headlines; subheads; breakouts; captions; department headings; covers; contents; bylines and bios; folios and font lines; web typography; and the history of type. White begins each chapter with a discussion of the fundamentals, and then turns to real-life examples to help illustrate his points. A short paragraph accompanies each picture, and all are arranged in an organized, pleasing manner.

I only have two issues with "Type in Use." The text which sits alongside the examples is printed in red as opposed to black (black is the color of the introductory text). I'm not sure if my copy of the book was flawed, or if this is a universal problem, but the red type on some pages appeared to be smudged and smeared, making it difficult to read. Even on those pages without blemishes, I found that the red type strained my eyes; there's just so much red that it becomes distracting.

Also, I was happy to see that White included a chapter on Web typography, but I would have been happier had the discussion been more in-depth. The final chapter, "The History of Type in Use," was wholly unnecessary and didn't contribute much to the overall discourse; White's readers would have been better served had be omitted chapter 12 and extended his discussion of the Internet. I realize that the book was written in 1992 and revised in 1999 - and six years may as well be six eons in "tech time" - but the Web chapter struck me as very out-of-date. For example, I had to smirk when he announced that Photoshop 5.0 had recently introduced "significant improvements" in the area of type; I don't think I even know anyone who's using a version earlier than 7.0! He also appeared to be agreeable to Flash animation, which today is so overused and abused that it has become the bane of web design.

Nonetheless, I would most definitely recommend "Type in Use" to both novices and experienced typographers alike.

- Kelly Garbato

Author, ePublisher, Web Mistress
Peedee Publishing / Hot Dog!, LLC

A very broad book on design, the content is insightful and thorough. The best part of this book is the timeline. I was especially inspired by the last entry. Why is the letter "i" upside down on the cover?

quite possibly the finest book i have ever been in the preface of

TYPE IN USE by Alex White transcends the trendy DTP "how-to" bookshelf with the real story on how to craft truly fine pages of typography! The first edition was the top selection for publication designers in The Designers' Bookshelf of The Design Center, but has been out of print for more than two years. Now this important work is back, and the editors at graphic-design.com agree -- Type In Use is the essential book for anyone who wants to really understand how to make typography do what it's supposed to do! . . . Alex writes: "Our job [as designers] is to compose elements to make them maximally interesting and comprehensible. 'Maximally interesting' does NOT mean 'Hey, Wow! Pop! Zoom!' It means revealing the content of the story instantly and efficiently." . . . Type In Use will train you how to accomplish that goal. You'll know where to put type on the page, and how to put it there. But unlike any other book in the past 25 years... Type In Use will tell you WHY! If your goal is persuasive, successful publishing, don't wait for this one to go out of print too... just click up there and buy it NOW. You will be very glad you did.

As a web designer, I always found adding typographical elements to my layout to be the hardest part. I would create a great looking page only to ruin it with a weak looking headline or inappropriately selected font settings.

I've looked for a good book to teach me typographical basics and decided to try Type In Use, even though it is geared toward print.

I have to say I've been extremely satisfied with my choice and have noticed a great improvement in my designs. The greatest proof of the change in me is how I began to look at the design of the book itself differently, analyzing it and seeing how Alex White practices what he preaches.

In each chapter, Alex begins by explaining a different part of the printed page and then showing and analyzing real world examples. There are chapters about text, headlines, subheads, breakouts, captions, department headings and more. This may sound a bit boring (devoting an entire chapter to captions?) but Alex manages to keep it all very readable with plenty of inspiring examples.

I've found this book to also be a great source of inspiration to my work after I finished reading it and I come back to it whenever working with any kind of type, online or offline.

The only weak point I found in this book is the chapter about Web Typography. I don't know if Alex aimed this chapter at people with no web experience at all or at web designers who want to learn typography on the web but he failed either way. The entire chapter in nothing more then a series of facts (some of them plain wrong) about writing HTML, designing sites, file formats, etc. Feel free to skip this chapter, the rest is gold.

I could not believe that someone would finally write about such a pivotal ship. The development and influence of this sub on ALL the following submarines of the world, conventional and nuclear cannot be overstated. The only flaw (and a minor one at that) is the minimal information about the Barbel Class subs built for the Navy. Since these were the last conventional submarines built for the Navy and were directly influenced by the Albacores design, I would've liked some more info. I find it amazing the amount of xdesign work they got out of a single test ship. I can't believe they deployed a B-47 parachute underwater to test performance changes!

Well documented, full of stories, detailled technics, the different phases and improvements...etc...Everything about this test submarine and her evolution.

Very good text.

Some nice b&w pictures.

I would have liked to see more drawings. It is the reason why I do not give a 5 stars.

I recommend this book !

I <3 LArge$$ and dis hrr B00k mdea me rilly hapie cuz he id teh best-0r3z t34(h3r 3\/4R!

The USS Albacore, preserved today at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is the prototype of the modern submarine in all respects except nuclear power. She served the US Navy as a floating test bed for numerous technological advances including the teardrop hull, single-stick control, and the towed sonar array, for nearly twenty years. This book is based on interviews with her captains, crew members, the engineers and scientists who conceived and designed her, and the shipyard workers who built her.

I brought my family to the memorial at the end of our vacation. We had a great a great time. I bought the book on impulse and was rewarded with a very interesting read.
I served on submarines (SSN-703 & SSBN 626B)and I think this is a very informative book. A must read for an submarine history buff.

I have no training whatever in architecture or engineering, but I've always been interested, often fascinated, by unique and unusual buildings. Hall, a technical writer with a slightly groan-producing sense of humor, has put together a survey of below-ground-level structures in the United States, including private homes (whether bunkered and bermed or converted from old missile silos), schools, libraries (such as the Bradley Wing of the Los Angeles Public Library, which I was familiar with), museums, government emergency shelters (Mt. Weather and Cheyenne Mountain are both here), and corporate facilities (Kansas City is full of them). The information provided is just technical enough to make the author's point about the utility and efficiency of building below ground, and there are loads of color photos and architectural drawings. I only wish the book had been several times as thick so it could include non-U.S. structures. Maybe she'll do another volume.

This book is "THE BOOK" if you are looking for non-technical aspects of underground buildings. Great photos, excellent commentary!

This is not your typical Underground House book. The author gives examples of building underground businesses, schools, offices, storage, stores, museums, theatres, sports complexes, military facilities and residences. And explains their history and why they do or do not work.

The photos are quite good and there are also some blueprints of a few underground structures. There are also two chapters on the theory and ins and outs of building underground.

I think the author should have made this book more global, because it could have been titled Underground Buildings of the United States.

I'll still give it 5 stars though, because I think she did a good job in accomplishing what she set out to do. I do hope she comes out with a sequel that is more global in its coverage.

This book should be a must read for any architect.

This book has many short, easy-to-read sections about general topics relevant to building underground, and about many specific examples in the United States. Unfortunately, there is not room to go into much detail about all the examples, but this book is definitely a good starting point. Well illustrated with color photographs.

At $29 or less, this book is being given away. This is a museum-quality book in terms of the paper, the photographs, the lay-out, and the cover.

I bought this book in part because land is becoming extremely scarce around the great universities and the central business districts, and I was looking for something to help me think through how to persuade a university to let me put a building into a hill or under a playing field.

This book does that. It is a very fast read, the photographs are priceless--worth 10,000 words each as the Chinese would say--and the only thing I did not find in this book were architectural specifics and photos of underlying infrastructure (pump rooms, air cleaning rooms, etc.)

If you are contemplating the need for squeezing a building into an area that is down to the "do not disturb" green space, or if you are contemplating how to exploit existing mines, caverns, or other underground options, this exquisite book is not only useful as a tool for reflection, it will help you "make the sale" to skeptical others you have to get on board.

The author provides a list of 50 places to visit with addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites, a fine resource section for more reading, and an excellent index.

This is an all-around world-class book that is easily worth $49 or more.

David Stephenson's exquisite photography reveals these architectural marvels as never before. Coupled with Victoria Hammond's illuminating essay, this book is an excellent buy.

My quibble is that there is no photo of the dome of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, surely one of most important domes as Hammond's essay itself states. The Church of St Sophia in Kiev is represented but not the Hagia Sophia

I purchased the book as I am a decorative artist who has been doing more and more ceilings in similar fashion to the illustrations in the book. This has inspired me and filled me with awe as I see some of the God given talents being used for the glory of God. I believe my company faux-creations will start to go places with this book as a reference in Lexington, KY as well within the States and Europe.

I don't have much to add to the earlier reviews except to say that if you like kaleidoscopes, mandalas or snowflakes, you will probably love this book. It is full of images of 6-fold and 8-fold symmetry and even one each of 3-fold and 5-fold. The pictures can be viewed as realistic depictions of parts of buildings or as abstractions, pleasurable purely for the pattern. There is something in the human brain that loves this sort of thing, and if you want to indulge that something and just wallow in beauty, get this book. Wow!

Dome architecture is something special: and its special qualities and art are captured by photographer David Stephenson in his images of dome interiors VISIONS OF HEAVEN: THE DOME IN EUROPEAN ARCHITECTURE. Stephenson traveled across Europe and even into Turkey and Russia photographing churches, palaces, mosques and synagogues created from the second to the 20th century: his visual display captures over a hundred images of some of the finest dome construction in the world, while an essay by Victoria Hammond tracks and dome and its decoration.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

'Visions of Heaven: The Dome in European Architecture' is one of those apparent coffee table books made to grace the room of art lovers and to initiate conversations about travel and architecture and art among guests. But this splendid book is far more than that (though a magnificent 'coffee table book' it most assuredly is!).

Photographer David Stephenson has traveled throughout Europe from Italy to Spain, Turkey, England, Germany, Russia and beyond, intent on capturing the magnificence of the domes that crown the cathedrals, palaces, mosques, syngogues and other imposing architectural wonders of the world. Technically speaking, photographing these domes is a feat unto itself: much time must have been spent on the floors or these edifices to capture angles of intent that would allow the resultant photograph to not only give the exciting detail of a concave surface but also to allow the available light to make the colors true.

The result is a book of over 120 full color photographs of art that too often goes unnoticed as visitors to these special places fail to strain necks to see the entire masterpiece above their heads. But the aspect of this book that makes it even more successful is the fact that Stephenson acknowledged the need for historical background to supplement appreciation of these domes and to that end Victoria Hammond in her essays and Keith F. Davis in his seductive foreword open discussions not only of the art itself, the creators, the materials, and the history of each dome, but they also address the concept of the dome as a reaching to heaven. The writing works as successfully as the photography and together create a book that is not only beautiful but also grandly informative. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 06