As always , concise writing which make you able to understand the hardest part of monetory policy

I must confess of my unbounded admiration for Milton Friedman. He has contributed so much to our understanding of the effects of monetary policy and has been such a tireless advocate for freedom that I must admit I am not impartial in any way, so readers beware.

This book examines 10 different episodes in world history in which seemingly trivial policy choices towards money had profound, unexpected, and unforeseen consequences (usually very bad). They make enjoyable reading and are most educational.

The discussions are not all that technical and, to me, sparkle with wit and insight. This book can serve as a great introduction to how gold and silver money was abused, the effect that minting rights can have, how technology changes in mining precious metals caused a crisis of devaluation, what the heck bimetallism is and what the issues around it were (are), and most important, the risks of the kind of money we have (fiat money - because it is not tied explicitly to some kind of commodity and is therefore at the risk of somebody running the printing press too much). This is all great stuff. Enjoy!

There are several useful graphs and tables. Also, a reference list in the back can act as a bibliography for further reading.

Imagine a grand winning case that is laid before the Supreme Court to change the course of modern life around the world. Friedman starts at the very beginnings of money and traces its evolution in copious detail. As proceedings finally reach the summation which is the final chapter: "Monetary Policy in a Fiat World." I see the court in a unanimous wonderment over the masterful job that has been done by Friedman. Well, the court required is public opinion--- a bit more cumbersome.

In any nation at any point in modern history, inflation comes from only one source the national government, not by some physical event, war or deficit spending. He details how the cause of inflation is growing the money supply faster than the output of goods and services. In his fabulous review of money he chronicles the centuries of price stability that came to an end with the creation of paper money. This fiat money is not backed by a precious metal and it has spread becoming the only remaining currency in the world. He does not argue for the return to a precious metal standard as some have misrepresented.

He provides details in country after country of how governments hallucinate that the citizens will not blame the government. Inflation directly benefits the government at the expense of the citizens. In addition to the impact on your liquid assets, the government debt is paid back or refinanced with far less valuable inflated dollars. He shows how tax cuts only giving back the tax increases that come from bracket creep in an inflationary environment. Finally. People and the financial markets quickly learn that interest rates have to compensate for inflation plus a real above inflation.

In current times this means government ten year bond rates of six to eight percent or more. The last ten years was the most ideal time in a century to control inflation. However, inflation was still three to five percent per year. The only logical assumption is that in the next ten years inflation is more likely to be near five percent or more. The historical real return required on government bonds is viewed as about three percent hence the total yield of six to eight percent. Currently, it is slightly below the range. Home mortgages will tend to be a couple percent higher than the government bond. In the simplest terms, had the Federal Reserve controlled inflation to zero, mortgage rates would be half what they are today. Since Greenspan went into the job committed to zero inflation like no other Fed Chairman, there will be no realistic basis for trusting in any potential Federal Reserve policy to eliminate inflation. It would take many years of proof before bond markets would believe any such policy. Because of money mischief we are stuck with high interest rates for a very long time. Thanks to our Federal Government and no one else. The blame could not be more clear.

Many governments have fallen including democracies over the matter of inflation. As USA citizens learn about inflation, it follows that political views will change. One of Friedman's most valuable contributions is the mathematical proof and imperial evidence collection that a little inflation does not help reduce unemployment. It worsens employment. Specifically, while 3% inflation is a smaller crime against the people than 10% inflation, it is still a crime with no redeeming virtue. This is not a matter of theory or political philosophy. Thanks largely to Friedman, the proof is in and the public debate should draw to a close.

The crowning moment of the book is when he details the observations that fiat money as a global money system is only a few decades old and it remains to be seen if governments can be harnessed by citizens to stop inflation. Friedman causes us to appreciate that there is only one place to draw the line. That is at zero inflation. The wreckage of inflation is not just in the aggregate economy, the low income and the retired. The mismanagement of money in the case of the USA by the Federal Reserve eventually reeks havoc in the securities markets. While Friedman is the Federal Reserves most articulate and worthy critic, his goal is to strengthen the spine of the Federal Reserve by educating the public and the government. After reading this book you are likely to see the senators that rant that "only they care about the unemployed and the Federal Reserve must now and always pump up the money supply" as at best badly misinformed.

To label Friedman a conservative or a libertarian economist as some reviewers do is to suggest that you can dismiss the authors views as not mainstream and suspect. This convention has clearly crossed over from the liberal major market media of modern times. It is truly dastardly to degrade the standing of Milton Friedman. His great works should command everyone's study and one should allow your views to be challenged simply on the merits of Friedman's work. A Nobel Prize is not awarded as the result of some game. Friedman's contributions to the modern world are profound.

This book was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I was afraid it would be a real "Mommie Dearest" hatchet job on poor old Milton, but although there were certainly some problems in their relationship, Bill has the honesty to point out that it was his fault as much as his father's. It would be interesting to know how (or if) their relationship was affected by this book - did they speak at all after it was published? (By the way - my sympathies, Bill. It's tough to lose a parent but especially so when you were on the outs with him.)

I've thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with this easy to read work. The book is rich in the interesting history of one of the world's most beloved entertainers, penned by someone that could only be a loving son. Both funny and tragic, it held my attention through the honesty without scandal. An unexpected ending certainly reminds us we're all equals! Thanks, Bill!

I have always heard that comedians by nature are truly serious people, and basically an unhappy group. Therefore, it doesn't surprise me that Milton Berle treated people, especially his son Bill, so obusively. MFUM humanizes the great TV star and, in fact, I pitied my idol after reading this book. I'm sure that Bill Berle would have much preferred a "real father" from a modest background rather than a superstar ogre such as Uncle Miltie. MFUM was an informative, interesting, well written book, and while it shattered my image of Milton Berle, I found it quite enjoyable.

Yes, this book does contain many useful items of information concerning the behavior, care and grooming of "Aussies." There are also numerous high quality photos of various champion show dogs. However,the book struck me more as an autobiography of the author, Nell Fox, than as a dedicated and comprehensive guide to the breed. I would suggest purchasing the book but only with the knowledge that much of it serves to sing in praise of the author herself! However,with that said; for those who are especially interested in the history of the breed and in Nell Fox's key role in bringing Aussies to America, this book is a must read.

Finally, a book about the Australian Terrier! This spunky breed has deserved its own book for a while now. A great book for anyone who has ever encountered an Australian Terrier.

This is one book that is hard to put down. The pictures alone are well worth the price of the book. This book far exceeds Nell's first book on the Aussie.

One of the main reasons I picked up The Peculiar Institution was to learn why a nation that was founded on the basis of a popular government would then turn around and aggressively import African slaves. The book tells of the creation of the institution of slavery in the New World as something that evolved, rather than something that European settlers consciously constructed.

It also does a good job of discussing the demographics and economics of slavery. Only a small number of white people in the south owned slaves, and those that did usually owned just one. Yet, because ownership of the vast majority of slaves was concentrated in the hands of a few, most slaves lived on huge plantations. Because slave labor was so cheap, business managers would frequently choose to buy or lease out slaves for work. This forced free labor to compete with the slaves for jobs and wages declined.

These portions of the book are utterly fascinating, and I couldn't put the book down. However, there was a bit more than I really cared to know about the average diet of slaves, and it seemed to belabor the rather obvious fact that free whites were usually able to commit violent crimes against black slaves with impunity. In these sections the book dragged a bit, and I felt that the author would have done the reader a favor by cutting a few of the 400+ pages.

I agree with other reviewers that this book is good. Good, but not to be taken, in my opinion, as the final authority on the subject. Prof. Stampp does not give enough detail concerning his credentials on this subject, and the other thing I object to in general is not that this book exists, but that, like so many others, it concentrates on the institution in the South, and glosses over the role played by our Northern brethren (who btw had much more racist opinions of blacks than southerners at that time as evidenced by their restrictive laws - and why the underground railway ended in Canada and not in a northern state) in buying and transporting these poor souls for profit and fortunes (all of which they and their heirs got to KEEP, not like in the South where all was lost), and the roles played by just about every nation at the time, not to mention the 500 years of slavery the black man suffered under the Islamic rule.

Anyone really interested in the subject should be required to read Rawick's 'The American Slave' based on the Slave Narratives which are interviews taken from actual former slaves during the 1930's. This is hearing it from the horses' mouth, so to speak, for the good and bad aspects.

Personally, my studies have brought me to believe that if handed the situation of slavery (which of course I would never have permitted in the first place), that immediate freedom ultimately was a great injustice to blacks. Given the situation at hand, blacks today would be much better off had slavery first been regulated so that it could have been gradually phased out in an organized and deliberate manner instead of people being 'turned out to pasture like cattle' with no education, no way of livelihood, and at a time when the entire South (even whites) were hard pressed to make a living. I, myself, could write a book on this subject, but suffice it to say that this is why I believe we have suffering today among blacks that are the result of parentless or fatherless homes, lack of education, lack of respect, and lack of culture. It has only been about 4 or 5 generations since the end of slavery, and the first 3 of these not much progress was made because everyone was living poorly. This is not that long of time to right such a terrible wrong, and the correct and best way of righting it might not have necessarily been to seek the fastest and most immediate.

Professor Stampp's book on American Slavery was published in 1956-- two years after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v Board of Education and at the beginning of the American Civil Rights Movement. At the time of its publication, the book was recognized as a seminal study of America's "peculiar institution". Time has not changed the value of the book.

The book attacks a picture of the Old South that attained wide currency after Reconstruction and was carried through American culture in works such as, for example, Gone With the Wind-- that plantation slavery was a benign institution, part of an agrarian way of life, that was accepted by both slave and master. Professor Stampp shows that slavery had an economic, commercial basis, that it was resisted by slaves overtly and covertly, and that led to squalor, cruelty and suffering by the slaves. The peculiar institution does not merit sentimintality in any form.

In reading the book a half-century after its publication, and with some benefit of having read subsequent studies, I was struck with the moderate tone of the book. Yes, there were humane masters in an inhumane system and yes,there were variants in time and place. Stampp gives these variants their due, perhaps more than modern students would be inclined to do.

I was stuck with the tone of slavery's defenders, pre Civil War and thereafter, describing the institution as "patriarchal". Not only is that description in error, as Stampp shows, but for readers in a time beyond the mid 1950s, it is hardly a compliment to call a society "patriarchal", even if it deserved this characterization.

There has been a great deal of writing since the publication of this book on matters such as the nature of the slave trade, the presence, or lack of it, of an indigenous culture among the slaves, and the economic viability of slavery. These studies add to the picture that Professor Stampp has drawn.

This is an essential book for the understanding of our Nation's history. Those looking for an introduction to the Ante-Bellum South could not do better than to read this book.

This book, originally published in 1964 by the National Bureau of Standards, is the result of a project started in 1954. It provides information on most of the functions then widely used in numerical computation in engineering and the physical sciences, including many formulas, and numerical tables of values for most of the functions.

In 2001 it has two drawbacks. First, because algorithms for computing numerical values of mathematically functions have improved dramatically over the 37 years since this work was published, you will not find suitable algorithms for computing values of the various functions discussed. To write a program for a computer or programmable calculator to produce values of any of these functions, you should use algorithms obtained from more modern works.

Second, and for much the same reason, you should not assume that all the numerical values given in all the tables are completely accurate; in 1964 calculations of some of these values with then-known algorithms pushed the state of the art to the limit. For example, in Table 7.3, "Complementary Error Function", two of the values attributed to a 1951 table by O. Emersleben are slightly incorrect in the last digit tabulated. This is not a criticism of this book, or of Emersleben; accurate calculation of values of the complementary error function for large arguments is tricky, and I have found similar errors in tables compiled more recently. However, good algorithms are now known, and should be used by anyone who desires reliable values.

These days I find this book still useful for refreshing my memory on various of the many formulas it contains, but for numerical values I prefer to rely on more recent sources, or on programs that derive values using the better algorithms known these days.

I have enjoyed using this book over quite some time. Its comprehensiveness promised to never let me down. It did keep the promise since the late seventies. Whenever I needed a clearer picture, perhaps a reason why a function did behave the way it did, I found the additional clarification here. Glad it exists.

This book is a compendious of mathematical tables, formulas and graphics. It contains a very complete table of analytical integrals, differential equations and numerical series. Furthermore there are tables of trigonometric and hyperbolic functions, tables for numerical integration, rules for differentiation and integration and techniques for point interpolation and function approximation. There is a whole section for mathematical and physical constants as fractions and powers of Pi, e and prime numbers. Statistics are also discussed by presenting combinatorial analysis and probability functions. In its more than 1000 pages, almost all mathematical areas are treated. Every time you need same mathematical relation or information you will find it on this book. If you work with mathematical research or numerical computing you must have this book.

I bought this book on the recommendation of friends and I'm glad I did -- it's a wonderful look inside skating though the words of the skaters and skating community themselves, with very little editorial commentary. The stories are easy to follow and really bring a different perspective into the wins, losses, triumphs and tragedies the skating world has gone through over the past half century. I enjoyed all the stories in the book except for one, where a couple of hockey players discuss power skating. Normally I wouldn't care one way or the other about it except that one of them pretty much trashes the sport of figure skating in a statement he makes, and I question the inclusion of this in a book aimed at figure skaters and fans (who akready have to hear stuff like this enough as it is!) But this is a minor quibble. Skip the hockey player story and you'll be fine. :)

This book is a collection of interviews with some of the world's top skaters. The choice of champions included goes beyong the usual list of world titleholders and Olympic champions to stars true skating fans rarely see and would love to know more about, such as spinning phenom Lucinda Ruh.

Most of the stories are personal, giving more insight into the skaters lives than a collection of competition results and technical explanations would. For anyoe who follows figure skating, this is a must-have book.

I have read a lot of figure skating books published this year and last and this unpretentious, soft cover book is the best. It is a series of oral essays by skaters, coaches, commentators and officials. Those interviewed, some famous, some not, talk about everything from skating as Mickey Mouse for Disney, to what it is like to come and train in the US. from Russia, to some of the dramatic, tragic stories of this little world as the death of Sergei Grinkov. Mr. Milton must be a good interviewer because he draws out the skaters and others in the book so that they provide real insight and emotion to the subject. And we see their love for their sport on every page. This book has more content than any of the flashy, coffee table books produced recently. I highly recommend it.

I think this book is a fairly good inventory of design works by the giants. Some of the works displayed have dated and it seems there could have been better editorial choices. Nevertheless, i think its a good starter for the begginer, and is a fun way to kill an hour.The print quality is exellent, giving vivid colors, but the cover design is...well- a shame.

This book is exactly what I hoped it would be: a visual parade of the works of designers who are arguably considered superstars in graphic design.

The various graphics are seen applied to print (magazine/book/poster), signage, film and sculptural media.

The examples span several decades, from the early 40s to the mid-90s. The great thing about seeing superb design in the years before the 1980s is that design during that period was accomplished without the use of computers; as a result, greater emphasis was placed on composition, shape, typography, color and imagination. The result was design that was simple, bold and highly communicative. It's a far cry from the over-stimulated design that almost everyone with a computer is capable of producing -- and has.

The back of the book contains an index to the graphics with a descriptive label and the year in which each was produced. Each designer's section starts off with a few paragraphs of introductory text, and ends with a brief bio.

The graphics are displayed one per page, and speak for themselves. Designers should pay attention to the message in this body of work.

Great works by the great designers, including my fav. Saul Bass's anatomy of a murder, it's simply a designers inspiration in carry size.Don't strain your eyes - it's picture only.

This book reads as though the author were speaking it, in a face-to-face meeting with the reader. It is so realistic, one feels as though she is Claire's next-door neighbor, going through a very frightening experience along with her.An intimate, inside look at an awful trial.

What a writer. I could not believe that the story I had just read was not true! It's a wonderful story of love, hope and courage. As a nurse I highly suggest this book as a gift to cancer patients and their families.

Great job Deborah and I look forward to reading any future work you may have coming out.

Be Blessed!

Every mother at one time or another, with unfailing certainty, has an overwhelming fear that her child will unexpectedly be taken from her by accident or death. Clare English is no exception. She's the strong-willed loving mother of Maggie and Adam, the faithful determined wife of Greg, and the life-long unconditional friend of Gwen. And God's on her side...after all, he finally gave her the beautiful little girl she'd been asking for all of her life. Now, life was good. Really, really good.

Then came the apple...the apple little Maggie bit into, leaving blood behind on the sweet fruit. A worried Clare discovers traces of red all over Maggie's teeth. Her gums were red and swollen. Clare is stunned a few hours later to find herself taking her precious little girl to the hospital to be tested for leukemia, and she prays, desperately, "Please don't let my baby have cancer!"

Yet Maggie does have the dreaded illness and Clare's perfect world comes crashing down around her as she enters the fight of her life for her daughter, her family, her faith, and most of all, herself.

With each and every page, the reader can't help but to imagine "what if this were my child?" We see the tremendous strength of a loving family and friends and the power of prayer through this challenging, life-threatening ordeal. Angel, Mine reminds us of the precious gifts we've received from God and readers will be forever touched by its heartfelt inspiration. Deborah Milton has created a story so real, so intense, it's hard to believe it's fiction. Get out your kleenex, as you'll certainly need them as you follow along with Clare, feeling her emotions, experiencing her pain and her joys as a mother, a wife, and a child of God. If this book hasn't been made into a movie yet, it should be. It is certain to captivate any audience from start to finish. I commend Ms. Milton on a job of inspirational storytelling that surpasses all others I've seen.

The Rosenberg case has faded with time and turned into a diffuse urban legend. Facts are rarely possessed by those who are most vehement about the case. This book puts an end to the hodge-podge of information that led some people to believe the Rosenbergs were innocents framed by the government. The truth is that they were spies, they were communists, and they engaged in treason. The Soviets would have acquired The Bomb with or without the Rosenbergs. That doesn't mitigate their guilt for hastening the information to our enemy. The Rosenbergs weren't tried for what they believed. They were tried for what they did. And they were killed for what they did not do--which was recant. Sworn communists, they chose death instead of life. A selfish, stupid choice that placed a worthless ideology over the needs of their two young children, who have written worthwhile books about growing up as orphans of two of the most infamous American traitors. This book ends the speculation that they were innocent, that they had no chance to save their lives by recanting. Here are the latest facts and the fullest account of a chapter in American history that continues to be a vital flashpoint for people on either side of the political spectrum.

The Radosh book concerning the Rosenberg case is a much fuller and more comprehensive treatment of the case than is the more recent book, The Brother, by Sam Roberts. The Brother is based on the current recollections of Ethel Rosenberg's brother David Greenglass who fingered both Ethel and Julius in testimony. David also served a number of years for espionage, himself, as part of same case.

...The Rosenberg File ... makes it very, very clear that Julius was certainly part of a communist espionage ring in the NY City area for years during WWII. The Venona Files also make the same case. It is Ethel who was probably not actually guilty of active espionage activities. It should be said, also, that both Rosenbergs could have saved themselves by telling the truth. Ethel might well not even have been charged, and Julius would almost certainly not have gotten the chair. But, they chose to lie right up to the end and be martyrs for the communist cause. The Radosh book, strongly documents the case against Julius and is also forthright about the weakness of the case against Ethel.

Read both The Rosenberg File for completeness and The Brother by Sam Roberts for a facinating sidelight from the point of view of one of the central characters in the story.

One of the most controversial cases of espionage in American History is the Rosenberg's'. This book is about that case and the evidence surrounding the lives of those involved.

The book centers on that misuse of judicial power and how the Rosenberg's' were executed through the lynch mob mentality. The overwhelming evidence presented in this book amazed me.

Any sane and rational thinking human being would be able to understand the clear and precise information presented in this book. You need know a great deal about the case to understand the writing.

Using every technique to find information the authors have done themselves proud. The collection of facts presented here would convince any jury that a great miscarriage of justice was performed. It is time to correct that wrong.

Those who consider this a really good beginners' book must not have seen Hans Rey's classic "Find the Constellations" or "The Stars: A New Way to See Them".
The latter book was "new" generations ago when my now grown children marveled at the heavens using our heavily worn hard copy of "The Stars" with Rey, and is now collecting grubby fingerprints from the frequent use by my grandchildren in our original and several paperback copies.
Part 2 of the Heifetz/Tirion book uses a labored method of originating and extending lines all over the sky from "Star n" of Asterism "m" through several other hard to define positions of far removed stars and further on to numbered or named stars in destination constellations for its "Walk Through the Heavens".
Too complicated for the purpose for beginners.
One could spend all night trying to imagine these lines in the sky while a few minutes with either of the Rey books would have the beginner naming and knowing half a dozen constellations and then star hopping to others.
Parts 1, 3 and 4 save the book. Part 3, the section on Legends of the Heavens, Milky Way, etc. is very good. Part 4, sort of a Misc. chapter has a small collection of good viewing information.
The book is a good buy, but the Rey books are a lot better for learning the constellations for any age group, and only slightly more expensive.
The Time-Life Skywatching/Advanced Skywatching volumes for a few more bucks are a little more advanced but orders of magnitude better for beginning teenagers, adults or advanced elementary schoolers and provide a lot more bang for your buck.

This book makes finding constellations in the Northern Hemisphere(the author has a similar book for the Southern Hemisphere)an interesting and successful endeavor. It is not just for youngsters, but for anyone with an interest in learning how to find constellations and the names of the major stars. The diagrams illustrate the relationships between stars and constellations in simple drawings that make it like an easy-to-read roadmap. It builds from the pointer stars of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) to all the constellations and how to find them. Instead of frustration and doubt you'll feel the exhilaration of discovery.

Besides the stars and their relationships to each other, there is also a "Legends of the Heavens" section that tells the myths and stories of the major constellations. They are fascinating and not limited to children. This book can open up the heavens for anyone who wonders about the stars. It can lay a foundation by simplifying the sky. Once these basics are learned, the universe and hobby of astronomy can be pursued to whatever depth you want. This book is a MUST for anyone wanting to be successful in satisfying their curiosity about the locations of constellations and their relationships to each other.

...Or at least, it will help you to identify them.

I have always been interested on space. However, I have never taken a single astronomy class, and there is a huge difference between knowing about astronomical objects and identifying them on the sky. I had seen some maps, but they were overwhelming.

This book changed it all. It starts with identifying one constellation, and from there it takes you to many stars. It is a very useful first step.

A great companion book for this one is "Secrets of the Night Sky". As I told in my review of that one, "A Walkthrough" will show you how to locate stuff. "Secrets" will let you know what you are watching.