I purchased this book because I am doing a paper about Stellwagen Bank. If you are interested in marine biology, whales, oceanography or know a young budding marine biologist, this book is an excellent and very enjoyable resource. It is easy to read, good photos, yet packed with information about everything from Captain Stellwagen to glacier formation to the numerous forms of sea life that thrive in Stellwagen Bank. It is peppered with lore about the history of local fishermen and the former whaling industry, and very interesting tidbits about the Massachusetts coast. A bright youngster on your gift list would enjoy this book, as would the college student or anyone seeking knowledge about the sea and the life forms that depend on it.

This book is absolutely wonderful! Last summer I worked for a company that took passengers out of Provincetown and went out to watch whales. As the naturalist, my job was to provide information about the environment and the things we were seeing there. This book was with me on every trip! There were many occasions when I walked around showing pictures out of it or used it for a quick reference. It was enjoyable and easy to read!

An excellent overview of the Fauna of StellWagon Bank. It includes many wonderful photopgraphs. There is also pretty balanced account of some of the significant environmental issues effecting the bank.

The book I read was Teetoncey. It won eighteen books for young people`s award. The author is Theodore Taylor.I liked this book a lot ! I give book a 4 stars. I think this book is exhilarating beacause it is surprising and you don`t know what going to happen`s next . It has an exicting ending . I can connect to this story beacause the named Ben O`Neal was very brave and I am brave too. This story is about a brave boy searches in the darkness for signs of suvivors. I recommend this book to anyone who likes an exhilarating,don`t know what`s going to happen next book! Pick up this book now!!!

I read this book (a trilogy actually) when I was in junior high school, sixth grade I believe. I loved it then, but forgot the title of it amidst the rediculous quantities of books I read. Yet as I got older, I found myself occasionally thinking of the wonderful story and characters. Unfortunately, I could never remember the name of the book or the characters. But finally, I have managed to find it after much frustrated searching. If you have any question as to rather you would like to read this book, just remember that I spent fourteen years or so looking for it because I enjoyed it so much in my childhood...and that's a pretty good recommendation!

Young Ben O'Neal finds a girl who has survived a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Hatteras and his family takes her in. She is shrouded in mystery, having forgotten her identity in the trauma of the shipwreck. They nickname her Teetoncey, in reference to her petite size. But her spirit is huge! One day, when Ben's friends are trying to impress her with their knowledge of swear words, she floors them with a string of curses that would make a sailor blush! There is speculation as to whether she is from a rich family or not, and is there treasure that went down with the ship she was on? Will they find it? Ben evolves from a boy who feels stuck in the Outer Banks culture to a young man who begins to appreciate the world at large, as he gains respect for the young girl they call Teetoncey. Engrossing; excellent for 9 to 12 year olds.

I read this book as a teenager and enjoyed it immensely. Since then, I've often wondered if it was true. I recently decided to write a simulation program that plays the system exactly as laid out in the book. What did I find? Email me at jwoodger@sympatico.ca, if you're interested.

I read the book in less than two days....truly was hard to put down....if you are just picking up a book to browse through and try and pick up a system, then you don't want the book...the system is explained throughout...no charts or graphs or any other BS....I found it to be a great read and have used a part of the system(mostly red/black and high/low) 5 times in the casinos(hardly enough to prove anything)but have walked away with $100+ each time...Now I don't have the capital to get a "Mushroom" as they call it, but if you can consistently walk away from the casino with $100-$200 for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of play...isn't that worth it.....Not quite as profitable as the European wheel, but it can still turn a profit with patience....BUY IT, READ IT AND ENJOY IT!

The fascinating account of how Norman Leigh took a team to break the bank at Nice using his roulette system. Dryly funny, it offers an insight into how gambling affects and alters personalties. It also illustrates a winning roulette system for those with the exceptional discipline, stamina and bankroll required to play it.

I looked long and hard for this book in several bookstores, including B&N's real life stores. They all kinda blew me off, telling me it was out of print. I requested it on Amazon and it showed up weeks later.

It was well worth the wait. Millman provides an excellent history of currency exchange, and the changing power structure that has altered forever the way governments conduct fiscal policy.

Although it will begin to show it's age soon, it's a fabulous introduction to the topic, and fun read. It's a little goofy in places, but those are easy enough to gloss over.

Fantastic book, clearly written. A history of the systematic shift in power from governments to asset markets, especially in the Reagonomics era (which includes the 1990's). A 'must', along with "Inventing Money" and "Wall Street Capitalism", for those who want to understand the financial system and it's consequences.

I finally understand what Options and derivatives are. This is a wonderful, fun book which guides the reader through the history of monetary exchanges. Did I say fun? You have to read his description of Berkeley in the late 60s. Although I lived through it, I never understood the inflation or high interest rates of the 70s and how it related to taking the dollar off the gold standard. Oh yes I can see clearly now!

What happens when business people start to act like 5 year olds at the playground - I'm taking my ball and going home. This is a great story about the desire of American Express to move into the world of private banking and the bank they tried to by - Republic Bank run by Mr. Saffra. Not only does the book provide us this weird story but also it gives the reader a great back ground on these two companies - the American Express information was very interesting. The story of the two companies coming together and then having a lovers spat is just darn interesting and a little tabloid TV. The book keeps your interest and is a nice little find if you pick it up.

Burrough's fabulous research is rarely matched, the marvelous style is consistent with his previous work on 'Barbarians at The Gate'. Few business authors will thrill you as much as Burroughs or James B. Stewart.

The story of how the custodian (Jim Robinson) of one the worlds most recognized names, American Express launched a defamation campaign against a Swiss banker (Edmond Safra). Their efforts would've succeeded if they didn't rely upon an eccentric master of PR (Harry Freeman), a neurotic conspiracy theorist (Susan Cantor) and what could only be described as weasel of a man (Tony Greco)to execute it all.

The portrayal of Safra as an innocent is a bit misleading. Admittedly he took advantage of his post holocaust Jewish peers by purchasing their gold for obscenely below market prices to resell at market prices. In addition, Safra isn't without blame in American Express's paranoia that he would exercise unscrupolous tactics himself.

Read the book to find out why.

I am a fan of the authors writing in general. If you're a person who enjoys reading stories in the Wall Street Journal etc then this book may very well be for you (the author works at WSJ).

This is a fascinating story of international intrigue and business. The author provides historical background for both AmEx and Mr Saffra and then proceeds into the meat of the story.

What's interesting here is that the Vendetta alluded to in the title raises some serious ethical questions on the part of some folks. All I'll say is as you read it do a name search on the web and see where some of them are today, it's not the poor house and it's not jail either.

The book exposes high finance, high power, bare knuckled business street fighting taken to an internation stage.

As a "student" of venture capital and entrepreneurship, I was delighted to discover this book. It was the book's title that first caught my attention. And, I was not disappointed. The author covers the subject of alternate financing in detail; IPOs, angel investors, venture capital, overseas financing and incubators. Often, banks are unwilling and/or incapable of understanding the unique requirements of a budding entrpreneur's financial needs; for example, in the software industry, most entrepreneurs can only offer intellectual property as collateral; this does not fit well with a bank's traditional mode of collateral ("If I cannot see it or touch it, it does not exist"). In this regard, the author offers well-defined chapters on helping borrowers prepare well for the reality (chapters 7, 8 and 9 - Valuing Your Business, Presenting Financials and Preparing Business Plans, respectively). One note of discord - while it is impossible to research and include every single source of information, the author should have included some of the well-established and well-known sources, in the appendices. Glaring omissions in Appendix A include The IndUS Entrepreneurs, a leading VC Club in Silicon Valley; Appendix B should have included the well- established entrepreneurship programs at Stanford University and University of Washington. Finally, I am glad that the book's retail price is below $25 (and often available at a disount); this tremendously benefits entrepreneurs and those individuals researhcing alternate sources of funding, for their business ventures.

Comprehensive, direct, resourceful.

Two thumbs up for anyone looking to start or grow their business.

I have read a lot of business books and this one gave the best insite into the topic. Very easy to skim and get what you need. If I would have stated with this one I could have saved myself a lot of time.

This book is an attempt to bring to a general readership the idea that solutions to any number of human problems can, and are being, found in the wild. Thus farmers might discover naturally occurring pesticides, perhaps from the leaves of trees; doctors might use antibiotics manufactured by microbes or ants; and engineers, builders and manufacturers might learn how to make the super strong but light weight materials spun out by spiders and worms or secreted by mollusks.

(Or, more realistically, chemical conglomerates, pharmaceutical giants, and construction multinationals might better their bottom line and reduce pollution and the destruction of the environment through the use of ecologically viable solutions.)

The text, written by Australian biologist Andrew Beattie with perhaps more than symbolic assistance from famed population biologist Paul Ehrlich, is unpretentious enough to be accessible to high school students; indeed it seems in some respects, by using a minimum of jargon and technical language, to be aimed at young people. There is an emphasis on the positive aspects of bioremediation and biotechnology rather than sounding any alarm bells about our misuse of the environment. Thus when animals are to be employed as biological monitors of pollution (as the canary is used in the coal mine) the text assures us that rare or endangered species will not be used. Or when pigs are employed (on islands north of Australia) as sentinel animals that might warn of disease traveling south, we are told that they live in pens under "palm trees that rustle in the balmy sea breezes" and that the pigs "snooze or root about in the sand and coconut husks" and are tossed leftovers by passing villagers several times a day "from the family meal or some other delicacy." (p. 160)

The authors follow the introduction with these important words, "The majority of species on Earth have yet to be discovered." (By the way, those who think that the identification of species is like glorified stamp collecting, as I recently read in some book, are very much mistaken. An accounting of life forms, at the very least, will give us a basis for examining change.) Beattie and Ehrlich follow this up with an exploration of how species live in, on, and with one another, laying the groundwork for an understanding of biodiversity and ecology while showing how dependent we are on the smallest creatures for our survival. They recall the failed Biosphere 2 experiment some years ago in Arizona and use a thought experiment on what we might take to the moon to establish and maintain a natural community, thereby demonstrating beyond any doubt just how complex and connected and dependent are all forms of life. They evoke the concept "the natural internet" to illustrate this interconnectedness and to show how natural cycles, food chains, water and nitrogen cycles, etc., work. Particularly interesting was the chapter on garbage and how the myriad creatures of the soil break down waste and return it to use. The remainder of the book suggests ways that humans can work within natural systems to both our advantage and the advantage of the planet as a whole. It is sorely hoped that this message reaches a lot of people, which is obviously the intent of the authors.

The text is enhanced by appealing black and white illustrations of insects, worms, spiders, microbes, fungi and other living things by Christine Turnbull, done in a way that makes the creatures look almost lovable. Turnbull combines a serious attention to detail with the light touch of a cartoonist. Or at least this is my impression. I imagined, for example, that the immobilized ant on the title page with a fungus growing out of its body had an cartoonist's "x" in its eye; but that was merely a misapprehension; there was no "x." Yet the death of this ant eaten from the inside by a fungus seemed almost benign. Perhaps this is a felicitous way of understanding "nature red in tooth and claw." Furthermore, (and I mean this seriously) maybe if people in general saw ecology in something like the rosy way Disney depicted it in Bambi (but without the distortion) we might be the better for it.

Anyway I admire the attempt by the authors to show how the use of natural products and processes are preferable to the use of artificial and man-made ones whenever possible, and for suggesting the incredible range of what is possible. I wish that all high school students and CEOs of multinational corporations would read this book. Or better yet, heads of state (even dictators and ruling theocrats) and elected representatives whose education has been primarily in law, business and the military, should read this book. Maybe we ought to buy an extra copy and send it to our representative in Washington. Couldn't hurt.

Bottom line: the text is a little pollyannaish at times and the material is familiar to those trained in the life sciences, but the message is an important one, and that message is expressed in a vivid and easily assimilated way. The drawings by Turnbull are wonderful.

Wild Solutions is a beautifully written little book containing a well-reasoned, passionate argument for the conservation of all the creatures in the natural world, not just the ones that look cute on T-shirts or postcards. The over riding theme of this book is not that we should save nature because we can make a quick buck off of it; rather, we should save nature because the natural world is one big laboratory, available to humanity free of charge, that not only supports us with a variety of ecosystem services but also continuously shows us new and better ways of living. The message is that species must be conserved because it is impossible to determine which will be vitally important in the future. Humanity tends to judge the worth of a species based on its value to us now without knowing fully or even considering the role the species may play in nature. We really do not know what species will be important in the future. Moreover, we do not know yet to what extent how important the known species are in ecosystem processes. Too often we learn of the organism's role and importance in ecosystems only after it is gone. One important point of the book is that we do not realize or even appreciate the extent to which we are dependent on the natural world.

As the case of Biosphere Two clearly showed the world, placing a value on the importance of a species without knowing its role in ecosystems and food chains, merely based on arrogant and selfish notions of whether or not we derive some value from it is foolhardy. Biosphere Two also showed us that humanity can not do without Nature, but Nature, given its multi-billion year history, can and has done without us. The authors liken the world's creatures to a natural internet that is responsible for the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the rich fertile soil that we depend upon for the food that we eat. All of these gifts from Nature, unfortunately, are being tainted, damaged and destroyed by the greedy and selfish actions of humanity. Although many of the example organisms may not be new to some readers, the way in which these organisms interact, and the way in which Humanity has taken advantage of these interactions to enrich our lives gives all a deeper understanding of the importance of these and other organisms.

While some may criticize the call to save the natural world for economic gain, no one can argue with the authors' assertion that the natural world has served and will continue to serve as a basis for the development of new industries. Nor can it be argued that the natural world will become more important as a springboard for the solution to some of mankind's most pressing problems. While I firmly believe that the preservation of species and habitats solely for present or future economic exploitation is both arrogant and shortsighted, it tends to remain the only way to convince the world powers and corporate sultans to tread lightly around environments and habitats. Such a state of affairs is at once both deplorable and depressing, but I am optimistic that sane minds will rise above the current economically inspired rapacious environmental pillage and eventually prevail.

I fully acknowledge that our callous interference in natural evolutionary processes is a foolish gamble, and this book serves as indisputable proof. Many lifetimes of benefits are waiting to be discovered among Nature's bountiful gifts, and this book inspires me to find a few of them.

Beattie and Ehrlich propose that nature represents an enormous reservoir of capital in the form of chemicals and genes that, having evolved over millions of years, can serve people by providing solutions to such things as diseases, better crops, mining, and energy. In support of their thesis, they've written this book, which is filled with dozens of examples of natural solutions for such things as human illnesses and pest control. A secondary and supporting thesis is that natural ecosystems are complex, with hundreds of interdependencies that link sub-populations in the ecosystem in unpredictable ways. As a result, it's often difficult, if not impossible, to predict how a seemingly minor alteration of an ecosystem will ripple through at different levels.

It seems that one of their goals is to encourage the listing of natural ecosystems as valuable assets. Too often, they argue, the true value of natural ecosystems is lost in economic policy, with the serious loss of important natural solutions that might otherwise have greatly benefited humankind. While I agree that natural ecosystems should be appreciated for their capitalistic value, I think the book's arguments are only moderately persuasive in that regard, and unlikely to convince many capitalists to deal more gently, or responsibly, with earth's natural resources. I also think their argument places the environmental movement on a slippery slope. By asserting that natural ecosystems should be protected for their capitalistic value, they open the door to counter arguments that natural systems with limited, or no, capitalistic value need not be protected. I'm personally more persuaded by holistic and ethical arguments, like those of Native American culture, which views humanity as an integral part of nature; a part that cannot remain morally and ethically whole without showing respect and care for Mother Earth.

However, I'm not so idealistic as to think the Alaska wildlife refuge will be saved by appeals to ethics, beauty, solitude, and spiritual oneness with nature. So, in retrospect, I suppose if Beattie and Ehrlich can convince even a few Texas oil men in the new administration to go easy on the environment "for the money" it will have been worth it.

I didn't buy this book because of its main thesis. I bought it because it is chock full of interesting tidbits and information about how animals interact with each other and their environment. The book is easy to read, captivating, and well written. The illustrations, by Christine Turnbull, are abundant and add considerably to the book. Each is artfully composed in simple black and white with detail and clarity that brings additional insight to the text (there are 40 all together).

In one sense this book might have been called "The Second Earth." There isn't a whole lot about the big animals that people think of. There are no accounts of tigers or bears. Discussions about animals larger than a cat are few. Mostly its about bacteria, beetles, ants, worms, grubs, and things like that. The stories tell how these animals have evolved the most interesting interrelationships, and how the crucible of evolution has resulted in some truly amazing chemical and genetic solutions that animals use - and that we can adapt and use, as well.

Many of the accounts describe how natural solutions can be used to solve problems with crop infestation. Often, the stories illustrate how these natural solutions not only work better, but are also less expensive and less damaging to the environment. One example is found in the story of Opuntia, an ornamental cactus plant that escaped from Australian settlers and infested the countryside. According to the authors, the cost of clearing the land mechanically, or poisoning the plants, was greater than the value of the land itself. Furthermore, the cactus grew so densely that it crowded out indigenous plants. To solve the problem, Australian biologists went to South America to search for natural enemies of Opuntia. The solution turned out to be a cactus-eating moth called Cactoblastis, which quickly cleared most of the Opuntia from the countryside.

Another interesting story tells how Australian aborigines would take a cloth and hold it over a nest of bull ants. The ants would swarm over the cloth, whereupon they were shaken from it, and the cloth was then use to bind wounds. These aboriginal people had discovered that wounds bound in such cloth heal without infection. The reason? Bull ants, being social animals, suffer from diseases (much like our social species). To combat the microbe hordes, bull ants have evolved antibiotics that coat their bodies. Their swarming bodies transfer some of this antibiotic to the cloth, which then serves to protect the wound.

Overall, this is a great book, but I wish the authors had included references for some of the things they discuss. Several times I found myself beating back feelings of genuine aggravation when the authors would make claims, with no way to verify or expand on them through chapter endnotes. They do, however, have a generic list of recommended reading material and a useful index at the end of the book.

If you find nature fascinating, and love to read a well-written book on the subject, then I heartily recommend this one. It will make you think, and more than once, while reading it, I'm sure you will say, "Gee, I never knew that! How interesting."

I recommend this book to other readers between the ages of 8 to 13 year-old kids because the book talks about fun things like time travel and also is easy to read. Some of the words in the book are big, though.

Now, this is the third book called "The Secret of the Indian" & it is about Omri's friend Patrick who goes back in time to the Wild West.

Omri & his friend Patrick risk grownups' discovery of their secret when they attempt to help people in the dangerous world of the Old West.

Boone is real & he is a toy cowboy but Boone was mostly small & Patrick was big. On the cover of the book it has Boone laying down & Boone is big & Omri's friend Patrick is small & I think in Chapter 7 called "Patrick in Boone-land" Boone grew big & Patrick got small & it must have been texas.

The chapter titles I like are called 2. Modest Heroes, 5. Patrick goes back, 6. A New Insider, 7. Patrick in Boone-land, 10. A Rough Ride & chapter 13. Mr. Johnson smells a rat. This chapter called "Mr. Johnson smells a rat" makes me silly & he would say if he smelled the rat "Yuck. Ha, Ha, Ha!? & it is so funny.

This book reminds me of a videos called "Spongebob Squarepants: Nautical Nonsence", "Bonanza: The Return" & a Lonestar song called "When Cowboys didn't dance.

I enjoy this book when I would be in the wild west!

I loved it & enjoyed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We checked out The Secret of the Indian on tape from our library and listened to it on a trip. All of us from the adults to the kids (14,8,6) were interested and excited about what would happen next. We have listened to each of the books and are now looking forward to the 5th story.

Popular math books like this one, covering applied mathematics instead of pure, are a rarity. Banks has done a fair job of putting together interesting essays on various topics, though he's frankly not a very good writer.

His topics do a lot of the work for him, though. For example, he spends a couple of chapters on the engineering problems associated with towing and melting a large iceberg to provide fresh water. It's neat to watch him make his way through one question after another: what's the great-circle distance from the Antarctic to Los Angeles? When you stop towing it, how long till it coasts to a stop? How do you melt it? Can you get useful energy out of the heat difference between it and its surroundings? Banks' ease with numbers is contagious, and reading this one can see just how powerful applied mathematics is, and how many questions you can ask--and answer.

However, it's not for everyone. I have a pure maths degree, and am not particularly scared of a differential equation, but I found myself skimming the innumerable equations and calculations. Which is OK: you can just let your eyes glaze over at the symbols and still pick up the narrative. You'll get the idea of what can be done; you just won't really understand how. But this is not really a book to teach people who don't already know these techniques. It's a fun book if you already like maths, and a terrific book if you enjoy engineering calculations, but it's not likely to make many converts.

One extra point I'd like to make: a couple of times, Banks brings up a really interesting idea that highlights very effectively just how powerful and surprising mathematics can be. My favourite is the calculation of the economic energy of a nation, which is an offshoot of Banks' analysis of the success of smaller nations at getting Olympic medals (interestingly, Cuba is by far the most successful Olympic nation according to his numbers). Let P be a nation's population in millions, and G the gross domestic product in billions of US dollars. Then E, the economic energy of a nation, is (PG^2)/2, or one half times P times G squared. This is analogous in form to the standard equation for kinetic energy, with population substituted for mass, and GDP for velocity. Banks goes on to present a whole series of analogies between the two fields, and calculates comparisons of economic power, energy and momentum for the US, Europe and elsewhere. It's a fascinating excursion.

I've only given the book three stars, partly because Banks' style, while endearing, is awfully clunky, and partly because the book has such a very narrow appeal. But if you know what a differential equation is, if you think it's interesting to try out calculations and compare results, and particularly if you enjoy seeing just what the engineering mindset can do, you should give this a try.

If there is a better source of offbeat, interesting problems in applied mathematics, I have yet to see it. The closest is the similar book by Banks, Slicing Pizzas, Racing Turtles, and Further Adentures in Applied Mathematics. In this book, the first title problem concerns the engineering difficulties of towing icebergs from the polar regions to other locations in order to relieve water shortages. Complete in detail, it is a fascinating problem in engineering. The conclusion is that it can be done, and although it would be expensive, it does not involve any insurmountable problems. To me, the most amazing part was that the iceberg could be released several miles offshore and the inertia would allow it to literally coast to a stop in the desired location. Given the growing problems with the availability of fresh water, it appears that some day, we will see it happen.
As a lifelong baseball fan, I found the chapter on the trajectory of baseballs fascinating. The table of the different pitches, their average speed and rate of rotation is one of the most informative collections of data that I have ever seen. In my youth, I struggled to throw curves, sliders and knuckle balls. I did occasionally get them to work, but seeing the required combination of velocity and spin explains a great deal as to why I failed so often.
The chapter on the economic energy of a nation also held my interest. Using the formula for the kinetic energy of a particle as a model, Banks constructs a similar model based on the population and gross domestic product of a nation. The formula is

E = ½ PG^2

While there is clearly a bit of poetic license being applied in the chapter, it does have many valid points and when the formula is applied to several economic entities, the results seem quite reasonable.
All teachers of mathematics are constantly in search of new problems to use in their courses. Students and instructors are collectively bored with the routine problems that seem to offer no new insights into what mathematics can be used for. In this book, you will find new uses for old mathematics that will make your creative hairs stand up straight.

Mathematics has been called the universal language. After reading Bank's book you might believe it's so. Banks takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of mathematical applications to a broad range of every-day events and phenomena. In doing so he exposes the reader not only to some fun and interesting mathematics but also to a better appreciation of analysis and how broadly it applies to our lives.

As the title says, this is a book on applied mathematics. To read and enjoy it you need to understand basic integral calculus and solutions to differential equations. There's also a smattering of algebra, trigonometry, and geometry.

One of the first things I noticed about the book is the breadth and scope of the topics. Banks does not live in a single corner of the world, but has obviously striven to sample a wide variety of mathematical applications in some remote corners of the world. There is, as the cover suggests, a mathematical treatment of towing icebergs, complete with cost and structural engineering analysis. This happens relatively close to the beginning of the book. Nearer the end of the book Banks has a chapter devoted to the science of waves in falling dominoes. In between is a wide selection of other topics, including quite a bit on exponential growth, both limited and unlimited, and its applications to lots of natural systems including alligator eggs, GNP, and deficit spending.

Banks does more than simply describe physical problems and write down their differential equations. He also does a good job of explaining the phenomena. Nor do integrals and differential equations describe all the problems. A significant portion of the book, for example, is devoted to statistics and related things like curve fitting.

And he does not forget the social sciences, either. Banks touches on such subjects as how to start a football game, a better way to score the Olympics, how to calculate the economic energy of a nation, and how to reduce the population. I found these subjects quite interesting, though I think the linear curve fit he used in the section on scoring the Olympics stretches my imagination. [To me, the data look pretty random. Indeed, the correlation coefficient is only slightly more than 0.5 (see figure 8.1 and correlation coefficient after equation (8.1)). Still, Banks (as if driven by a preconceived objective) presses on and applies a linear regression from which he later derives key results for his scoring method.]

For the sports-minded among you Banks offers lots of examples of applied mathematics in the fields (pun intended) of baseball, golf, track, basketball, jumping rope, ski jumping, and the shot put. For example, did you know that a child jumping rope is swinging a curve called a troposkein? Furthermore, the troposkein is useful in vertical-axis wind turbines because the shape eliminates compression and bending forces. So the next time you see the kids jumping rope, tell them how to chant "one troposkein, two troposkein ..." instead. It will be an opportunity to teach them some mathematics as well as really impress their teachers.

Most of the sports examples involve problems with air. Air causes drag, which is usually a problem to be fought in sports, but it also causes lift, which can be either a problem (as in the hook and slice in your game of golf) or an advantage (as in your curve or knuckle ball in baseball). I particularly enjoyed the discussion of aerodynamics and its application to ski jumping. Seriously, this is one book you want to read before the next Olympics.

There are also brief forays into architecture, meteorites, and wave phenomena. Do you know why the Eiffel Tower looks the way it does? How about the Gateway arch in Saint Louis? If not, you can find the answers in chapter 13. Want to know when to run for cover if a large meteor is heading our way? Then read chapters 4 and 5. Ever wonder why a tsunami causes widespread destruction on land but does not seem to be even noticed by ships at sea? Then you won't want to miss chapter 21.

The constant theme throughout this book (though Banks never states it explicitly) is that mathematics is the universal language. Through its magic we understand and control our world.

In addition to being a great book for subject and clarity, the book also has a nice presentation. The equations are all numbered. Failure to number equations was a complaint I had about "The Story of root minus one," by Paul J. Nahin (Nahin, by the way, is quoted on the back cover). Banks is also a walking treasure chest of other references. If any of the subjects he touches upon interest you, then run (don't walk) to the bibliography. You will find lots of references there for further (usually more detailed) discussions and treatments of the subjects Bank's covers. The book is also pretty accurate. I found only minor typographical errors like the missing equal sign in equation (19.6) and a typo on table 20.2.

Another thing I liked about the book is the way Banks leaves lots of the derivations to the reader. Sometimes these derivations involve a page or two of scribbles (like the one for equation 17.22). The book also has problems and suggested research topics for students. This would be a great idea book for students in mathematics, physics, and engineering. About the only complaint I have is that the book's index is miserly. Use lots of yellow markers, dog-ear the pages, and you may want to have some sticky notes around as well when you read it.

So, if you love mathematics and especially applied mathematics I highly recommend this book. I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Duwayne Anderson Saint Helens November 23, 1999

I just finished this book; it is a fast read that provides really good descriptions of the human condition. It is insightful, and in places, quite eloquent. The depictions are so real that you will recognize the people in the story, but have to change their names.

This collection of short stories can be read as a novel. Most of the action takes place in the late 1970s in a trailer park in the Northeastern part of the USA. There is good character development of the individuals who live in the park, a little sex and very little violence.

Not sure if there's a certain "order" one should read Banks' books in, but I started with "Rule of the Bone" which I enjoyed so much I immediately bought "Trailerpark" and then "Book of Jamaica" (which I have not yet read). In this collection of short stories, we see a cast of characters that, at first glance, could be from Anytown USA. As the stories develop, at first humourous then getting progressively more bleak, we begin to realize that what makes the characters unique, as in "Rule of the Bone," is their life in the rural northeast. I love the way the lives of the tenants of the Granite State Trailerpark are intertwined; it's just a fabulous read.