Although this claims to be an introductory text, it is more like a collection of results in stochastic processes. The notation is often impenetrable and there is not a uniform level of rigor in the text. Some results are presented in detail, and others sort of assume you've seen them before. There is no unifying theme here. It's hard to know where the author is going. A better rigorous book is "Stochastic Processes" by Doob.

The stickers may be larger than a postage stamp - but not by much. The 4 1/16th by 5 3/4 size quoted is the size of the actual book, and the pages hold four stickers each. For the price I suppose it's decent enough, being acid free and adhesive, but the actual reproduction leaves a little something to be desired. I was upset to find that the reproduction of Hokusai - Kingfisher, Irises and Pinks was blurry. The other included prints are:

UTAMARO - The Courtesan Hinazuru at the Keizetsuro

EISHO - The Courtesan Midorigi
EISHI - A Beauty from the Pleasure Quarter
HIROSHIGE - Asakusa Rice Field
UTAMARO - Three Beauties of High Fame
CHOKI - Hanaogi with Maidservant
HIROSHIGE - Drum Bridge and Sunset Hill
HOKUSAI - Peonies and a Canary
EISUI - Somenosuke of the Matsubaya
EIZAN - Snow
HIROSHIGE - Maples at Mama
SHUNSHO - Lovers Becoming Familiar
HIROSHIGE - Crossing the Yoroi Waterway
HOKUSAI - A Favorable Breeze and Clear Weather
HOKUSAI - Stormy Sea Off Kanagawa

This is volume 2 of a 3 volume work. Unfortunately you can't tell that from the product description unless you read the cover page very carefully. Volume 2 is 700+ pages long. I have not been able to find volumes 1 and 3. Would not have purchased this had I known it wasn't the "complete" Spitta. ("Unabridged" shown on the web site is "Unabridged-in 3 volumes" when you're able to read the cover of the book).

Very difficult for the absolute beginner. The audio cassette does not offer enough repetition for practice nor time to absorb the pronunciation. There is a helpful pronunciation and reading guide in the front of the book.

I was excited that this book was in color and could not wait to recieve it, but was very disappointed. Not only did all the fabrics seem similar, but I felt the patterns were not very different from one example to the next.

I'm not a big fan of Baudelaire's verse poetry to begin with (his prose poetry is a different matter), and having read Flowers of Evil in French, I was not impressed with this translation. It contains most of the important poems from the original (The Albatross, Her Hair, An Invitation to Voyage, To a Malabar Girl, etc.), so this volume is a good introduction for people unfamiliar with Baudelaire. But someone who genuinely wants to study Baudelaire's poetry would be better off reading James McGowan's translation for Oxford World's Classics.

The real flaw with this edition is the ridiculously small size that attempts to encompass a large symphony orchestra, solo quartet and choir. The result is almost complete illegibility. The notes tend to run into each other most of the time, and you would need a magnifying glass to properly study the score. My personal advice is to go for the full size version, despite the additional expense. At least, you can get to READ the notes in the score!! (The two stars are for the admirable translation of the Schiller poem "Ode to Joy" and explanation of the evolution of the recitative preceeding it in the introduction)

You cannot tell from the pic, but this is really small and thin. It is not really functional as a notebook. It's pretty small and thin. Be warned.

This book isn't even worth stealing!

This book isn't even worth stealing!

Received the following *UNSOLICITED* email from someone related to this book. I certainly didn't ask for information on this book, and I certainly don't appreciate folks wasting my time with their ads!

Don't buy from spammers. Don't buy this book.

---- copy of spam below ----

Computer Literacy begins with the keyboard, so why aren't you typing 80 words per minute? All it takes is just a few days of practice using the book, "How To Quickly Learn Typing" by Dover Solomon, available at Barnes & Noble and Amazan..com. Visit either of their websites and order a copy today! Barnes&Noble.com and Amazon.com.

Useless for newsletters. Also sorry I bought it.

The book probably does have 1OO1 motifs but many were Victorian and so ornate they would be all but impossible to transfer to a greeting card. I would return it but the cost to return would take a large bite out of the cost of the book. Sorry I bought it. May be of use to graphic illustrators with more equipment than I possess.