The Jahn-Teller theorem was presented in 1936, however, the first clear experimental evidence of a Jahn-Teller system was provided only in 1952. Moreover, early experimental and theoretical works had concentrated on systems possessing symmetries that were octahedral or lower; icosahedral systems were very rare and exotic. Interestingly enough, the oldest known work on the icosahedral symmetry and molecular spectra (L. Tisza, Z. Phys. 82, 48, 1933 - not quoted in the book), published when no icosahedral molecules were known, acknowledges a help from E. Teller. The discovery of the C60 molecule has however focused interest on the icosahedral Jahn-Teller systems as many cations and anions of C60 are Jahn-Teller active. The new book presents a comprehensive survey of the topic.

This volume is the first book that focuses on the icosahedral systems themselves and the authors based it on decades of their own research experience in the Jahn-Teller effect. The book is divided into six chapters on 153 pages, followed by eight appendixes on 45 pages. The introductory part places C60 into a wider context of boron-rich solids containing B12 or B84 clusters, B12H12, smaller and higher fullerenes like C20 and C80, icosahedral structures with 13, 19, 55, and 147 atoms in xenon clusters, the smallest icosahedral systems Si13, Na13, or Mg13, and the Berry phase. The following four chapters will be enjoyed be specialists as they systematically discuss various conceptual and theoretical aspects of icosahedral systems and their Jahn-Teller behavior in general (icosahedral symmetry and its effects; triplets; quartets; quintets).

The last and the longest chapter represents a bridge to experiments. Electron spin resonance, vibrational, and electronic spectra are discussed and illustrated on observed data. Although the discussion is mostly directed towards the Jahn-Teller effects in isolated icosahedral complexes, the chapter closes with molecular crystals and superconductivity in the fullerides. High-temperature superconductivity has indeed enhanced interest in vibronic coupling.

The well prepared and produced book is of a primary interest of fullerene theoreticians and spectroscopists. However, its introductory and application parts appeal to the whole fullerene community.

ISBN 0-691-04445-7

Quoted from a book review by Dr. Robert Silbey (MIT), Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 120, No. 48 (December 1998): "This is a nicely written monograph that could also be used in a one-term course of vibronic coupling effects in molecules and solids for students with a background of standard quantum mechanics for physical chemistry. It begins with an introduction to the Jahn-Teller effect in lower symmetry systems and proceeds to discuss icosahedral symmetry and its effects. Until fairly recently, icosahedral symmetry [I_h] was of course only of academic interest; this changed dramatically with the discovery of C_60. The authors of this book have treated the effects of this symmetry on the spectra and properties of icosahedral complexes in an elegant and complete manner. The book consists of six chapters and eight appendices. The first two are introductory, consisting of a short introduction to the Jahn-Teller effect and to the icosahderal group. The next three chapters theoretically treat the electronic triplets, quartets, and quintets of the I_h group, respectively. The adiabatic potential energy surfaces are treated clearly and completely. The authors then go on to take the "bridge to experiment" in a long but very well-written chapter, in which they discuss multimode effects, electron paramagnetic resonance, and the spectra of the ions of C_60, and finally make a few remarks on superconductivity in the fullerides. The appendices are useful and complete, containing discoussions of the adiabatic approximation and quantum tunneling and good discussion of various mathematical aspects of the Jahn-Teller problem. I recommend this book either as a highly readable monograph or as a text for advanced students in chemistry."

The Last Dark Place is one of those books that make you think. I particularly liked the skewed version of Heaven and Hell portrayed in this novel. And the immortal Roman who bumbles through his everlasting life waiting for the Second Coming should not be missed. Beware the evil dream clown...

After centuries of exile, Satan wants to return to the glory of Heaven. In order to make his return, he must find someone to replace him as ruler of Hell. Meanwhile, in a small town in New Jersey, a young man named Jimmy Christophe is having strange dreams and hearing voices coming from his air conditioner that make him think he is destined for something more than his normal life.

Mr. O'Brian has filled his novel with twists, turns, and bits of surreal humor like the Greek chorus of Arch Angels and gay bashers in superhero costumes. If you like the works of Clive Barker or Kim Newman, you will like "The Last Dark Place".

This book tells you how movies are made. It is a great book to read if you are a beginning actor/actress. It is very interesting. I highly recomend this book for kids.

This book has everything you ever wanted to know about auditons, agents, filming and effects. You follow Johnny as he is cast in the movie "The Mists of Time".

For any of you fortunate enough to actually see the restored "Lost World" now completed by George Eastman House, this is an invaluable extra that reminds us just how much of this fantastic film has been missing for over 70 years. (Well, actually half of it!)

If you haven't seen the film in it's restored state, then this is the next best thing to being there.

Editor, Roy Kinnard gets us up to date with an informative introduction to the history of the film and the shooting script itself is eye-opening to read just how much story would have been there had the dinosaurs been removed.

(Rumor has it the producers were nervous that the dinosaurs would be a flop so had the screenplay written such that they could be edited out and still have a story if it was necessary.)

If you are a fan of this film or "King Kong" this is a must! The photos are great, including a lot that I've never seen anywhere.

(Sadly, as of this writing there are no plans to release the restored version of this great film on home video.)

The Lost World was a pioneer film in many ways, not the least of which being the use of animation to bring dinosaurs to life on the movie screen. This book tells the fascinating story of how the film was conceived, produced (including secrets behind the movie's special effects, which are still stunning, even today), and the bizarre events that took place years later that have left us with only a hint of what this classic must have originally been like. Anyone interested in film history, silent film, or special effects will want to read this book. It is well illustrated with frame blow ups from the film, and a treasure trove of publicity photographs.

An excellent text for Med/Surg nursing course. One you will want to keep for future reference. Indispensible!

This book I've subtitled "holding the bag" -- it is basically a text book for nurses, telling them how to deal with the patient after the doctor has left the room. It includes how to live with a diagnosis, a disease, and deal with the side-effects of a cure. It not only provides precise medical information, but includes psychological and 'daily-life' information as well. As it is designed for nurses, the vocabulary is technical, and the illustrations are graphic; if you really want to understand what the doctors just told you, this is the place to go.

Normally, people take "word play" to mean puns. This 64-page book features 18 tales from far corners of the earth--Japan, and the Middle East, China, France and Serbia, India and Africa--offering a different kind of word play. In each one, a central character says something that is at once the truth and a lie.

The last story, for example, tells of four boys in Suriname two of whom bragged that their respective fathers were the best traders in town. The third, however, smiled and said that his father had them beat and the fourth boy agreed: He had with one ear of corn purchased a cow, a horse and a donkey. The father had indeed started with one ear of corn, and had indeed purchased a cow, a horse and a donkey--but not all at once, as the other boys supposed. Rather, he had planted the corn ear, sold his crop, bought a cow, sold it and bought a horse and sold it and bought a donkey.

Similarly, another tale speaks of a poet named Mutanabbi who passed by Zubeida's house one day and decided to return that evening to propose that they be married. Halfway home, he encountered a handsome young man who was on his way to see Zubeida, "the most beautiful woman in the city," whom he also wanted to marry. Mutanabbi was afraid of losing his chance, so he told the young man that he had just moments ago seen Zubeida kissing a wealthy man. The young man left, feeling lost. After learning that Mutanabbi had married Zubeida, he accused the former of lying. After all, if Zubeida had really kissed a wealthy man, why would she have chosen Mutanabbi? Why, the wealthy man she kissed was her father, of course.

Another story features a Muslim holy man on the island of Celebes, who found a dark cave and crawled inside to escape from warring enemies. "If it hadn't been for the spider," he told his friends afterwards, "I surely would have been caught and killed." No one believed him, of course. But he had spoken the truth along with a lie. The spider had spun a web over the mouth of the cave, leading the holy man's enemies to believe that no one could possibly be inside. The man, however, had neglected to tell his friends was how the spider saved him.

(This particular tale reminds me of the Jewish tale of David, who as a boy had questioned why God made spiders. Unlike the Muslim tale, however, the Midrash explains that God gave even the smallest creature a purpose. When David was grown, King Saul became angry with David and tried to kill him. David fled and hid in a cave. A spider spun his web across the cave's mouth. That night, soldiers passed the save. King Saul reasoned that no man could hide there without tearing the web. And David thanked God for making spiders.)

From this book, children learn that different traditions are often similar. They also learn to carefully examine "facts." Things presented as truth may compose only part of the picture. Alyssa A. Lappen

More True Lies has 18 awesome tales that will tingle you. Once you start reading, you will never want to stop. More True Lies is the best story I know. My favorite is number 5, because a person dresses like a bandit and it really was a girl. That's what made me laugh. I like the whole truth because it is kind of weird reading a lie. That's why you should read this book. It's fantastic. I hope Shannon makes another book!

The Most Unusual Musical Troop is a treasure of charm and wit. It has a wonderful lilting beat and a story meant for all ages.

A fun book that musicians of all ages will love (and the rest of us enjoy). Not just for kids!

William McCarter was a twenty-one year old Irish immigrant when he enlisted in the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry in August 1862. The unit soon became part of the Second Brigade, First Division, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, better known as the fabled Irish Brigade and Carter's memoirs, "My Life in the Irish Brigade" has the distinction of being the first full-length memoir published by an enlisted man in the Irish Brigade. McCarter's account covers the brigade from the Seven Day's Battles in which it made its battlefield reputation, to its assault against the Bloody Lane at Antietam, to the charge up Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg where McCarter was gravely wounded and forced to leave the army. Because he was detailed as the personal scribe to General Thomas F. Meagher, commander of the Irish Brigade, McCarter was able to meet and judge the famous generals of the Union Army such as Ambrose Burnside and Winfield Scott Hancock. Kevin E. O'Brien, who has written widely on the Irish Brigade, edits the volume and in addition to his Endnotes he has included several interesting items in the Appendixes, such as the poem "The Irish Dead on Fredericksburg Heights" which was printed in the "Irish-American" in 1863. McCarter's recollections are quite engaging, and his description of the Brigade's actions at the fateful battle of Fredericksburg, where the vast majority of its 1,200 men were killed or wounded, is the best part of the book. If you have more than a passing familiarity with the history of the Irish Brigade, this is an excellent book to give you a unique and fascinating perspective on their glory days during the Civil War. It is also one of the better written memoirs, by enlisted man or general, you will find.

The Civil War has always been of great interest to me. Consequently, when I find a book that tells of real-life experiences coming directly from the pen of the man who experienced the things he wrote about, I am automatically interested. Private McCarter wrote candidly of what he witnessed, felt and thought while in the Irish Brigade. His book is easy to understand and evokes vivid mental pictures of the scenes he describes. He seemed to be an educated, good-hearted man who, if he was alive today, I would love to meet.

Read the book.. loved the stuff inside specially the pics! The lads all look so yummy! Check out Shane strutting his stuff on the ramp minus the jeans =)

Anyone who'd like to get to know the Irish popband 'Boyzone' would enjoy reading the book "Oh Boyz". It holds a great deal of information about the group and each individual member written in a humorous and relaxed style. Anyone else who already considers themselves a BZ fan (and therefore might know a lot about the band beforehand) would probably not get many news out of it. Then again you might simply enjoy the bold load of brilliant color and black&white pictures that show the Boyz on and off stage. On almost one hundred pages the author gives you a lowdown on the band including personal files of each member, statements by their manager, friends and people who work with the group as well as various little reports about their TV shows, tours, rehearsals or recordings. It includes a few precious "private parts" e.g. Ronan Keating's birthday party, Keith Duffy with his little son Jordan, some personal quotations and lots of pictures taken by the Boyz themselves. Small paragraphs make it easy to read the book or skip certain parts you might already know about. One could even start to read at the end of the book without getting confused, because the author didn't follow any special order, but gave each page a little heading that makes it easy to find out what's in the text. So, if you'd like to find out about Mickey Graham's most embarassing moment, the secret sixth member of the band or why Stephen Gately is not Mr. Happiness read the book; if you'd just like to see Keith napping in the middle of a street in Paris, Ronan and Stephen performing in their sleep or Shane Lynch taking off his pants for "just a bit of fun" enjoy the photographs in the book. Either way you'll have a great laugh!!

This book does exactly what the title says-it provides a short history of the IRA in around 170 pages in a small, pocket-sized format. The history is very concise and filters through many events ranging from the Easter Uprising in 1916 to the re-establishment of Direct Rule in 2000. While some important events are glossed over, in particular the ramifications of the SAS "shoot-to-kill" operation in Gibraltar, examinations of the internal factionalism that have occurred are looked at in detail, as well as their prominent role in the peace talks and their association with Sinn Fein. The only fault I found was in the captioning of one of the photos of an IRA patrol with "Libyan weaponry"- only one of the three weapons on display is of Eastern Bloc origin. A worthy addition to any collection on the Northern Ireland conflict. If you happen to be the author Tom Clancy-please read this book before you make any comments on Northern Ireland again!

The aforementioned title is one of the best, most comprehensive, and yet concise histories of a group who's exploits could fill libraries. It clearly addresses all of the major campaigns of the IRA and with equal quality, remains an unbiased viewpoint. This book is by all means deserving of its five stars.