SuZanne has captured the hope, faith, heart and spirit of these youngsters with her creative and caring lense. Paired with the scripture -- miricales are all around us. Thank SuZanne

A great photography book for every coffee table in the country! With the recent tragedies that our nation has experienced SuzAnne Libby has offered a glimmer of hope with her black and white photography book set with biblical scriptures. With her simplistic and elegant approach SuzAnne Libby's book has given me comfort at times when I needed it most. I have sent Heart Warmings to my US Navy friends serving in the Middle East who have also been inspired and comforted by her book. SuzAnne Libby's Heart Warmings will warm the hearts and offer hope to all who open it up. This book will get alot of use. A must have, I highly recommend it.

This is an inspirational photography piece for every coffe table in the country! In light of our nation's recent tragedies SuzAnne Libby offers a glimmer of hope in this wonderful work of black and white photography set with biblical scripture. With her simplistic and elegant approach this book has given me comfort in times when I most needed it. I have sent this book to my US Navy friends serving in the Middle East who have also been comforted and inspired by SuzAnne's book. SuzAnne has done a wonderful job and this book will warm the hearts of all who open it up. A must have, I highly recommend this book!

Don't be put off by the stultifying title and heftiness of this book. As history books go, this is a page-turner. It's a highly readable and thoroughly documented history of how Christian dogmatists have fought virtually every advance in human knowledge in the Western world: from astronomy to anatomy, evolution to Egyptology, linguistics to lightning rods.

This book first appeared in 1896. Since then, science has advanced and grown faster than ever before--yet Christian religious dogma is unchanged. Incredibly, we still hear from some states, towns, and public school systems (at least in the U.S.) the same biblical-fundamentalist arguments against scientific inquiry that, as Prof. White's book meticulously demonstrates, have been raised and debunked repeatedly over the past two millennia.

It's up to us whether we let religious fundamentalists paralyze progress in our era. Never forget which fruit God told the humans not to eat.

I was bored over my holiday break (December 2002), and thought I would just read a few pages of this book to help me fall asleep. Three hours later, I was riveted to the book and couldn't put it down (or sleep).

Originally written in 1886, this is a comprehensive account of clashes between theological and scientific claims about how nature works. White systematically chronicles the persecution all the major areas of scientific inquiry had to go through from theologans before they were accepted : geology, mechanics, medicine, meteorology, biology, etc..

For example, in one chapter he meticulously works through the emergence of the heliocentric view of the world, as opposed to that endorsed by the Pope where the earth is the center of the universe. There are tragic tales of threats (Galileo), torture, and execution (Bruno) of scientific minds who made claims that conflicted with the Church.

The chapters are exceedingly well-crafted. He starts out each chapter by describing the origins of the Christian view of the topic (for instance, that there is literally a stone firmament above the earth through which rain is let in). He then discusses how scientists came to question such views, their persecution by the church, and eventually how the Church backtracked and hedged and finally accepted the scientific view.

Compared to a lot of work by skeptics these days, the book is very scholarly: it is exceedingly well referenced, so that you can go find the original sources of both the theological and scientific viewpoints. On the other hand, since the book is over 100 years old, there are some ideas that are a bit antiquated. For example, his discussion of "primitive and savage cultures" extant in Africa are a bit dated. Also, the references to the 'recent' Civil War in the United States shows the books age. These anachronisms come off as interesting more than anything else. Overall, stylistically the book reads better and is more thoroughly researched than most modern skeptical thoughts.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the real story about how science and religion have related to one another in history. To those creationists who say that scientists are being dogmatic by adhering to naturalism, I say read this book. Naturalism as a scientific methodology is not a dogma (where a 'dogma' is something believed without evidence). Rather, science is naturalistic because 1000 years of the alternative were an abject failure: based on historical evidence, religious thinking *in science* only stunts the creativity and logical thought processes of scientists. In my experience in neuroscience, I have seen this many times.

Finally, this book should be on every scientist's bookshelf. As a working neuroscientist, I take for granted that I am free to think in any direction about how the brain works. I do not need to answer to any higher authority than evidence provided by experiments. I am accorded this privilege because of people like Galileo, Darwin, Lyell, and Harvey who stood up to the Church establishment and had the courage, in the face of sometimes fatal reproach, to say what they thought was true.

Thomas Henry Huxley wrote in 1860, "Extinguished theologians lie about the cradle of every science as the strangled snakes beside that of Hercules; and history records that whenever science and orthodoxy have been fairly opposed, the latter has been forced to retire from the lists, bleeding and crushed if not annihilated; scotched, if not slain." This remarkable book documents this history. The author is respectful but painstakingly thorough. Page after page one will read of the idiocies propagated by Christian theologians and their inevitable refutation by advancing scientific knowledge. This book should be read by everyone, especially those remnants of the middle ages who still believe the Bible is a reliable guide to the study of nature.

The earlier volumes of the series were collections of stories written for magazines, but as the publishing world altered over time, the emphasis changed to full-length novels. A new reader can begin at any point, since White is careful to fill in the background, often via an explanation delivered to a new trainee, visitor, or Monitor Corps pilot. This book is part of the omnibus edition _Beginning Operations_.

"Medic" - One of the earliest entries in the series in terms of internal chronology; *the* earliest is the first story in the collection _Sector General_, describing how the hospital came to be founded, while this story relates how O'Mara, a member of the hospital's original construction crew, wound up looking after the hospital's first patient. In later years, O'Mara sealed the file on this story, but couldn't completely hush it up no matter how hard he tried. :) If you're curious about how O'Mara evolved into the gruff personality we know best, read _Mind Changer_.

"Sector General" - Not to be confused with the short story collection of the same name, which is in the omnibus edition _Alien Emergencies_. Conway makes his first appearance as the viewpoint character, a position he occupied until the conclusion of _Star Healer_. He's only been at Sector General for 2 months, and as an ardent pacifist deeply resents the Monitor Corps, when in an emergency he gets his first dose of an Educator tape, and the resulting problems land him his first real meeting with Chief Psychologist O'Mara. Then his first ship rescue assignment confronts him with a fear-maddened entity, who (having killed Carmody, the gentle Padre of the psychology department) brings Conway face-to-face with a kill-or-be-killed situation. (See _The Genocidal Healer_ for further discussion of Carmody's role in the psychology department.)

"Trouble with Emily" - Dr. Arratepec, distinguished member of a newly discovered telepathic species, has convinced its people and the Galactic Federation government to give all assistance to a classified project involving a brontosaur-like creature that its human handlers have nicknamed Emily. (Yes, it's a very bad pun.) Emily's species is facing extinction on a planet without intelligent life, although Emily itself is healthy. What is Arratepec up to, and how can Conway assist when Arratepec won't confide in him? (Incidentally, the I-have-no-time-for-women attitude disappeared rapidly when Conway met nurse, later Pathologist, Murchison.)

"Visitor at Large" - Marks the first appearance of Prilicla as Conway's brand-new assistant. The visitor in question is a giant amoeba, who (as the youngest offspring of Sector General's most troublesome patient) is being allowed a deathbed visit. The patient has nothing organically wrong with it, but is quietly dissolving into water, apparently due to some psychological problem that the doctors simply can't treat. Then the hospital rapidly acquires a second problem, as the young visitor panics at the sight of all the aliens and takes flight into the depths of the hospital.

"Outpatient" - Marked by Conway's promotion to Senior Physician and subsequent assumption of one or two permanent Educator tapes. (Diagnosticians aren't the only physicians to permanently carry tapes; they're distinguished by the *quantity* of permanent alter egos they carry.) The outpatient case is the sole survivor of an alien ambulance ship, of a previously unknown species (seen later in the series as the Ians). Conway's inexplicable course of treatment, which he refuses to justify until the end of the story, lands him in serious hot water in this one.

Incidentally, when O'Mara remarks that despite Conway's promotion, he wouldn't trust him with his appendix, the fact emerges that O'Mara's appendix was saved by the surgeon who took it out, and now (pickled) serves as a hospital chess trophy. :)

IRRELEVANT NOTE: The old Ballantine DelRey paperback edition's cover art consisted of a view of Emily during the more successful phase of Arratepec's experiments, with Conway as a small figure in the foreground.

A must-read series for all science fiction fans, the Sector General novels have been described as a cross between Star Trek and ER. I began reading these books as a kid and I still love reading them today. They are great examples of what multiculturalism and interracial tolerance are supposed to be! One of my favorite characters is Prilicla the tiny insectoid empath, always having to dodge the huge aliens around her, both physically and emotionally. There are over a dozen books in the series, many of them out of print, but they are worth your time if you can find them all.

General: "Hospital Station" is actually a collection of short stories that inaugurated or launched a series of novels by James White about a huge, inter-species hospital space station called Sector General. Sector General is staffed by a variety of different intelligent species, including humans, and treats the hardest cases from all over the galaxy. White seems to delight in generating as varied a population as possible for this ship, and gives great detail about the different physical forms seen in the staff, along with their eating habits, social habits, mating habits (in a very PG, if not G-rated way), and cultural beliefs.

Specific: In one story, an intelligent but brawny construction worker, O'Mara, gets stuck nursing an injured and orphaned alien baby back to health, as Sector General is under construction. He thereby heals the hospitals first patient, and begins his climb to the position of Chief Psychologist (and unofficial Personnel Manager) of Sector General. The other stories deal with Conway, who starts off by being a naive but up-and-coming young doctor who assists a visiting physician in helping an alien brontosaurus learn teleportation and thereby survive an upcoming ice age on its home planet; he tracks down a juvenile shape-changer who is frantically running amok in the hospital; he (eventually) correctly diagnoses a member of a new-found alien species as not having lethal cancer but instead . . well, I won't give that ending away.

Technical: James Whites writes with great pace, simple dialogue, good character development, and frequent light humor, while tackling fairly complex plots and issues. While "Hospital Station" is not the best in the series (I would give that honorific to "The Genocidal Healer"), it is a great introduction to a very enjoyable series of books that spanned several decades.

Everybody who has serious illness or cares for somebody with a life-threatening illness should have this book. Makes a nice gift.

Going to be a best seller or should be.

NANCY WHITE KELLY IS A MASTER OF LIFE. SHE TOUCHES THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF HER READERS. SHE SHARES A STORY FULL OF HUMOR, EMOTION AND INSPIRATION AND IS ONE OF LIFES GREAT FIGHTERS. I AM LUCKY THAT SHE CAME BACK INTO MY LIFE AFTER AN ABSENCE OF SO MANY YEARS.

A great sing along book that is perfect for pre-school age children. They love interacting, and with an easy tune to sing/read they will feel like they are reading the book too! As a former pre-school teacher, I look forward to reading and singing this book with my own children.

My daughter loves this book. It is really cute!

Joan Paley is the best illustrator EVER! (hi mom!)

Dr. Joe White is one of the most, if not the most respected horticulturist in the state of Louisiana. His advice is always on target and the book would make a great addition to any home library.

I received this book as a birthday gift and haven't been able to put it down. It evoked childhood memories of Sasanquas in bowls, spider lillies in beloved friends' yards, and laughter at funny names like "Grancy Graybeard." I remembered a gigantic yellow Lady Banksea rose that grew so large it took over the roof of my playhouse. Thanks for the memories and helpful advice. Even my grandfather the masterful gardener would approve.

Anyone wishing to garden in Louisiana's unique environment should consult this guide. Organized by plant type, it is easy use for species identification, planting instructions, and care tips.

Refer to this guide before purchasing plants and again when doing garden maintenance.

I am quite sure it was the film "Gandhi" that had me thinking Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971) was essentially a portrait photographer, but this impressive collection of her life's work amply proves otherwise. Bourke-White was originally an industrial photographer, who was hired by Henry Robinson Luce to do assignments for his new magazine "Fortune," for which she did extensive photographic essays on everything from meat packing plants in Chicago and glass blowers in upstate New York to workers in Indiana quarries and the steel industry in Germany's Ruhr valley.

On her first trip to Russia in 1930 she photographed not only the industrial expansion of the Soviet Union but the lifestyle of the people and it is from this point in her career that she made the clear shift to being a photo journalist. During the Great Depression she documented the plight of migrant farm workers and sharecroppers. When Luce launched "Life" in 1936 Bourke-White formed the magazine's original photographic staff (along with Alfred Eisenstaedt, Peter Stackpole, and Thomas McAvoy) and her photo of the construction of Fort Peck Dam in Montana was the cover and lead article in the first issue. During World War II Bourke-White covered everything from the German attack on Moscow to Patton's push into Germany to the horrors of Buchenwald.

Bourke-White's work represents the height of the era in which photography was a recognized art form, by which I mean a time when photographs were hung on walls in the same manner as paintings. Her work, like the best of that period by her contemporaries, has a poster-like design. It is fascinating to read how her use of multiple flashbulbs helped her create a more realistic effect. "Margaret Bourke-White, Photographer" lays out her career in clear stages, telling us not only about what she was doing but the hows and whys as well. Whether you consider yourself an aspiring photographic artist or are simply an interested neophyte such as myself, you will have a greater appreciation for both the artist and her art after devouring this book, which contains 160 pages of superb reproductions of her best and most famous monochrome images (some of which are from her personal archives).

I did not buy this book because MBW was an inspirational female or other, but because her photos are simply superb. They capture a feeling, a time and space with a clarity that is both sparse and yet detailed. This is a book to savour and reflect on.

This book illustrates why Margaret Bourke-White should be recognized as one of the 20th century's top photographers. Her ability to capture a moment during war and destruction or an enternity in marble and stone, is awe inspiring. She was not limited by her feminity. She moved easily into the world of machines and factories, capturing molten metal and shiny blades. Again and again, I return to the book and study all aspects of her photographs. The depth of field, the rhythm, the harmony and the life seen in all her photos takes my breath away. Within a few days of purchasing the book, I had the joy of visiting the National Art Gallery of Canada in Ottawa where there are two Margaret Bourke-White photos in their collection. The soft creamy paper used in these pictures counters the hard metal of the image itself. These are the third and fourth Margaret Bourke-White's I have had the pleasure to see in person. The other two was a copy of the original cover for LIFE magazine and a single rose bud. Both of these photos are owned by Margaret Bourke-White's sorority and are featured in their archival collection. The photographic reproductions in this book, although lacking the soft creams of the Art Gallery's copies, do capture the integrity of her photos. I will treasure this book.

Kephart's engaging, entertaining style does a terrific job of bringing realism to a heavily stereotyped people; his approach is balanced, illustrating the people's good and not-so-good characteristics with anecdotes (some hilarious) and facts. He provides historical and topological frameworks for the character of mountain people. He lived a bare-bones existence among them for several years and so his narrative is richer--and truer--than that of a drop-in-ask-get-out historian's. The book provides a realistic basis for understanding people of today's mountains, where personal background is often still important.

Kephart delivers the facts as they really were while avoiding any hints of "documentary reading". The story gives many real life events and the reader feels almost as if he's having a conversation with Kephart. A very vivid look into Appalachian life as it really was in the early 1900s.

I love Appalachia history and would rate this as my favorite book on the subject. I hated to see the book end!

Path of the Paddle provides more than an instructional text, it introduces the reader to the art of canoeing. Mason infuses the practicality of the subject with a respectful dose of philosophic underpinnings that anyone who has ever slid a canoe onto the water's surface and experienced the joyful dance of boat, paddle and water will appreciate. There are many "how to" canoe books, covering the basic stokes and safety concerns, but this book conveys that information in a form that demonstrates the author's love for his craft.
If you want to become a canoeist, not only do I recommend this book, I recommend finding and getting the video of the same title.

Bill Mason and son Paul really get down to basics in canoe and paddling technique in this revised soft-cover paddling manual. This book is geared to those who want to learn everything there is about flat-water and white-water travelling. It's the most definitive guidebook on the market.

I own both "Path of the Paddle" and "Song of the Paddle". These are the best books I have seen on canoeing, written by one of the best canoeists ever. They cover all facets of the canoe and how to use them properly. The "step-by-step" photos and the diagrams help teach proper techniques and the text is both informative and entertaining without becoming confusing or boring. Bill Mason and his son Paul have done a splendid piece of work and these books are a cherished addition to my personal library.

This book is a compilation of essays on open source from the author. He covers the origins and history, as well as a responsible coverage of the licensing models. While there is an over emphasis of Linux, it does talk about various business models that can be used in the open source context. It also includes the text of some of the major open source licenses.

Sometimes a home run is little more than a hit causing an increment tick to a stat, but once in a while it's a powerful work of art that changes the game--Donald Rosenberg's book is the latter. It is, by far, the best book on Open Source written to date.

As someone involved with open source strategies at a large corporation in the computer industry, I found Donald's book to be objective, insightful, and current which reflects an intimate knowledge of someone on the inside.

The level-headedness of this book makes it an essential read for anyone trying to understand the counter-intuitive nature of open source or protect themselves from the FUD, emotions, and convoluted conversations that plague Open Source.

This was an excellent book; well researched, well written, and well organized. This book provided a remarkable contrast to "The Cathedral and the Baazar", which, while interesting, was generally poor in its organization and far too biased to take seriously. Although the author is obviously biased towards open sourse, this is the most objective book I've read coming from the open source community. Rosenberg often objectively points out the challenges the open source debate will face legally and philisophically in the near future. This is a great reference book for anyone interested in the open source debate.