the recipes were superb. Cajun cooking is new to me but I had complete success with each and every recipe. I would recommend this cookbook to anyone who enjoys excitement and a zest for life!

Content: DeMente seems to know what he's talking about (this author was recommended to me by an instructor in Chinese culture). Although I've dealt with Japanese business people for many years, I've not been to Japan, and therefore have no basis to completely judge the book's content. Based on what I do know, though, this book is best read as instruction in how to deal with Japanese business people when doing business *in Japan* (as opposed to doing business with Japanese companies and their representatives in the U.S.).

Structure: Overly repetitive, poorly structured and in some places, clearly outdated. The last criticism is to be expected given the dramatic change of status Japan has undergone in the past decade. The first two criticisms might be ameliorated by two factors: One, my own preferences are certainly playing a large role here. I prefer to have information delivered in a logical (to me) and concise manner. This is especially true for an instructive book -- one would expect creative writing to contain flourishes. Two, perhaps this *is* creative writing, and DeMente is showing the reader what dealing with a Japanese mindset is really like.

This is one of the best books I have read on Japanese Business and Ethics. The author gives an explanation on the character of the japanese. Explains the differences between doing business the japanese way and the western way.The author gives a history of the japanese and gives stories on how the japanese think and act. You will gain so much knowledge from this book about the japanese. I will recommend this book to anyone that is going to do business in Japan or with the japanese in their own country. A must read.

Not only is the author knowledgable about the topic, but I like the manner in which he makes his points through real life anacdotes. I use the same technique in my book: The Constant-Sum Approach to Business Success".

He may not be Reischauer but Mr. De Mente packs enough cultural and historical background into this book to make it a worthy read for Japanese scholars or anyone with an interest in Japan. The author presents the reader with about 150 Japanese words and phrases that have special meaning for the Japanese. For example, he translates the word "kamatoto" into English as "The Dumb Blonde" i.e the Japanese propensity to feign innocence in order to gain the upper hand in a relationship or business deal. "Wa" or "harmony" is succinctly though brilliantly explained and would be something any foreign businessperson dealing with Japan should appreciate. I have read other books by Mr. De Mente but this is by far his most informative and well written. Recommended!

Knowing that Japan uses it language differently than English, but not why, I found this presentation provided numerous insights.

This book has approximately 250 black and white pictures of the park and houses around Lafayette Square in St. Louis, MO. The only text is a short introduction and the captions for the pictures. If you are looking for historical factual information then this book does not have a lot in the way of content. If you are looking for information about the square in its present state after renovation, this is for you. Most pictures are of the modern square. It reads somewhat like looking through someone's scrapbook. I enjoyed learning more about the houses in the square and look forward to seeing them in person.

Pictorial history of one of St. Louis's oldest and most colorful neighborhoods.

This is definately a one sit read. Very idealistic, but in an age where all political stories seem to feel the need to add cynisism in the name of realism, its nice to read a book by a DC native that can make you smile as well as think a little. From bikers in the Capitol to a Cabinet formed from the masses; for two hours of your time, its well worth it.

If only Frank Capra were still with us. Or, perhaps he is. In President of Lafayette Square, author Richard Ward has written a compelling, fun, and somewhat wistful tale of Andrew Jackson returning to help the US avert takeover by a cunningly evil adversary. Couldn't happen? Well, maybe not, but Ward makes the reader wish not only that such a thing were possible but that the book was modern history instead of fiction. But even as fiction, it's a great idea handled with love, wit and talent. I think this is Ward's first novel. I sure hope it isn't his last.

I took this book to a city in Kyushu on a business trip with the goal of accomplishing some basic communication in taxis, hotels, and social situations. With it, I was able to introduce myself, ask for things and communicate basically in my hotel, figure out where to go when lost at Haneda, and communicate with taxi drivers. Where it lacked was the section with unclear conjegation of common verbs (it wasn't clear to me how to use most in sentences). A glossary of nouns would have been a key addition to build your own sentences, along with proper sentence structure information. Aside from that, the phrases were very applicable and useful, and the book was small and well organized-- easy to use. It contained fewer useless, overly-specific phrases than you often find in other phrasebooks.

This book is all you need to get started speaking real Japanese in a short amount of time! This compact guide is ideal for those who need quick words and phrases which will help them communicate in real-life situations. I have travelled extensively, read many foreign language guides and I find that most people do not have the time to learn the linguisitic rules of pronunciation or complex grammar explanations. Most people are looking for some basic words and phrases that will assist them when reaching out to a speaker of another language not only to communicate needs and wants, but also to show respect to Japanese hosts and colleagues.

I cannot tell you how many foreign language "survival guides" I have come across which contain such arcane phraseology as "Could you please tell me how to get to the green grocer?" C'mon! All you need to know (for survival purposes) is "Market, please" or "Lettuce, please".

I highly recommend this guide for those who are making a short business trip or vacation to Japan or even just want to share a few words with Japanese friends. It contains short useful phrases (such as "just a moment" and "I don't mind"), variations of common expressions (there are several ways to say "thank you" depending on context) and the basic verbs already conjugated ("I understand", "I don't understand", "I understood"). It also has the bare bones vocabulary necessary for situations at hotels, restaurants, telephone, taxis, stores, train stations, post office, bars, etc.

This is a book from which you can learn the vocabulary and structure basics and then continue to build on from there. Highly recommended!

As a musician who has played a great deal of chamber music at the professional level, I found Mr. Rounds' writing a bit amateurish and pompous at times. In the introduction I felt like I was reading a high school creative writing project! But it does get better. He is obviously not a musician and the book is not aimed at musicians. That being said, I thought the interviews with the quartet were very interesting and realistic, and he does present a lot of interesting information about the business of chamber music. I would read "Indivisible by Four" by Steinhardt first.

A fascinating introduction to the String Quartet as a musical form. Rounds starts from an introduction to the lives of the four women of the British Columbia based Lafayette String Quartet. From their life histories and rehearsals for a recording of the Borodin Quartet Number 2 he adventures into an exposition of the history of the string quartet form, the working lives and career stresses of string quartet players, vignettes of the personalities of former quartets such as the Budapest and the Guarneri etc. The book has musical examples. It ends with personal recommendations for quartets from Haydn to Shostakovitch and contemporary composers such as Terry Riley. A very rewarding, well-written, informative read.

Whether you've never heard a string quartet in your life, or whether you're a lifelong aficionado, The Four & the One will rivet your attention from the first page. This unique book traverses a wide range of topics, from the technical aspects of music making to the status of western classical music at the millenium. The author's knowledge is encyclopedic, yet his writing is deft and his love for the music shines through every page. Strongly recommended!

The content if fine, BUT it is identical to
"NTC's Dictionary of Mexican Cultural Code Words";
they didn't even bother to change the title page,
they just slapped a new paper cover on it. As
interesting as the book may be, I certainly didn't
need two copies!

On a one year assignement in Guadalajara, Mexico, this book was one of the greatest prepatory tools I bought. Great two page descriptions of commonly used words that don't translate directly. I can't count the number of times I heard something during conversation and thought back to this book.

Most people do not realize that the country of Mexico is a very different place than the United States. Probably because the two countries are next to each other, those in the US think they pretty-much know how Mexico is and what's it's like. Basically, they cannot be further from the truth. Mexican culture and thought are very different on a very fundamental level, and Norte Americanos who travel to Mexico or deal with the Mexican people on a personal and/or business relationship need to know this.

This book is a great help in understanding these differences. Basically, if you do not want to stick out like a silly-looking gringo when you are there, you should read this book.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to that very strange negative review listed. There seems to be a hidden agenda there that doesn't have a whole lot to do with the contents of the book.

I read this book because John Updike said it was one of the world's greatest novels of romance -- but I should have known from his other choices (Madame Bovary and The Scarlett Letter, among others) that he likes his romance bleak! The Princess of Cleves is certainly of considerable scholarly interest, being as it is a very early novel, and delving interestingly into the predicament of a woman trying to behave morally despite the frivolity, intrigue and pleasure-seeking of the 17th century French court. But the story is difficult and sad: young woman marries dutifully, then falls in love with a handsome duke, he feels similarly and pursues her passionately, but she struggles against her feelings, which wrecks havoc on everyone. The predicament is closely linked to the context and doesn't feel timeless or grand in theme; rather, the triviality of it stokes up thoughts of what caused the French revolution. Interested readers may prefer the Norton critical edition, which offers a number of essays as well as the text.

The most surprising thing one finds when reading The Princesse de Cleves is its unbelievable level of modernity. An interesting research study would be to draw parallels between the plot of this 17th century novel and the modern romantic dramas, as I believe the results would be quite surprising. The political and social dramas it raises seem much more at home in a more jaded modern story. The book also features a shockingly unconventional love story that must have raised quite a few eyebrows in the time of its author, Madame de Lafayette.

The plot takes place inside the closed world of the French elite, during the reign of Henry II. Although the novel starts out famously slow, once you get past that tedious interval the story gets much more interesting. We are introduced to the true powerbrokers of France, men and women absolutely possessed with the thirst for power. Those with some education of the French Revolution should find this section of the novel very enlightening, as it highlights their absolute isolation and ignorance of the body politik itself. Instead, the pampered court spends their time stabbing each other in the back and doing everything possible to get close to the king. To do this, they employ everything in the arsenal, including arranged marriages, family ties, and a lot of sex. If one wants a fictional but definitely reality based account of Machiavellian politics in the Renaissance, this is a great book to read.

Then of course, we come to the actual love story. In the beginning, the love between our Princesse and her suitor seems to be a familiar romance, one which numerous writers have regaled us with. A dashing young prince falls in love with a beautiful fair maden. However, this book quickly pulls away from such monotonous convention, and, in glorious French style, takes the reader on a descent into true human nature. That is the kind that harbors jealously and intrigue. The love story quickly becomes a fierce and tumultuous event, with the actual lovers stuck in the middle. A very progressive love story.

This book is definitely a classic, as it really represents a big development in the genesis of the novel. However, it does get very tedious at times, and often drifts into meaningless window dressing. Nevertheless, The Princesse de Cleves is on the whole a very engaging and complex love story that should satisfy any modern reader interested in the multitude of topics it covers.

"La Princesse de Cleves" is among the most scrupulously accurate historical fictions in literature. It is also arguably the first historical novel ever written and one of the earliest novels in any language.

But is a classic in Mark Twain's sense of the word, the sort of book everyone wants to have read but nobody actually wants to read?

I agree with another reviewer that this isn't beach blanket fare. Readers of early English literature will find it more palatable than Samuel Richardson's "Pamela" and better plotted than anything by Defoe. Although Mme. de Lafayette is not the first important female writer in French - Christine de Pizan comes to mind - this highly original work outdoes Aphra Behn, Fanny Burney, or any other English woman before Jane Austen.

If those comparisons bring a sparkle to your eye then prepare for a treat. The central figure is a sixteen-year-old girl fresh from a sheltered childhood in the countryside when her mother decides to deal for a prestigious son-in-law. Except for the fictional protagonist every figure in this late Renaissance setting is historically accurate. The jousts, the love affairs, the betrayals, and the shocking death of one pivotal figure all happened. De Lafayette presents the French royal court at its most glamorous, then peels away the facade to reveal ambitions that corrupt or destroy everyone who remains in their spell.

Women's fictions from this era were expected to be love stories. This one succeeds at that well enough to woo modern readers while it levels a scathing attack on the French aristocracy in the tradition of Moliere.

Great book but the SAME EXACT BOOK with a different cover can be bought !!! "There's a Word for It in Mexico" by the same author!!! I was the idiot who bought both!!!

I'm a mexican who after reading some of the captions on the site bought this book for my dutch boyfriend and another dutch friend who is living in Mexico now, It has been very helpful for them to understand why we mexicans behave in a certain way. I don't find it insulting or dimishing the mexican culture. It is funny to see how others see us.

I have lived in Mexico for 2 years. Although some seem insulted by this book, I have found it extremely helpful in aiding my family and I to understand how Mexican's think. It differs from our cultural view of things. It contains an excellent history of Cortez and the influence of the Catholic church which still plays a major role in the daily culture of the people. I am purchasing a second copy today. It's worth every penny. I also have NYC's Dictionary of China's Cultural Code Words. Mr. De Mente does an excellent job of capturing the flavor of a culture.