- Based on 25 years of travel and research, this is the ultimate guide to agaves. This is the second printing of a classic. - Eco Travels in Latin America website END

Back by Popular Demand The University of Arizona Press called this week, to let me know that they have reprinted Dr. Howard Scott Gentry's Bible of the Agaves..."Agaves of Continental North America." This book, originally printed in 1982, is an indispensable guide to the Agaves, a group of plants that have been used by the people of Mesoamerica for well over 9,000 years. With a copy of this book in your fat little hands, you can learn how to brew up a few cups of killer Mescal and weave a mat to rest on while you contemplate the authority of your brew... Dr. Gentry gave twenty-five years of his life to the Agaves, conducting field research from central Nevada south to the islands off the coast of Panama. Widely recognized as the world's leading authority on the Agaves, Dr. Gentry was an agricultural explorer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than 30 years. I first met Dr. Gentry while on a field trip in Mexico in the late '50's. I was asked to be his mailman. I delivered mail from the U.S. to him and took mail back to post from El Paso. I learned more about the Agave family in one night around the campfire than I could have learned in two semesters at a University. I was invited to a reception honoring Dr. Gentry back in 1982 at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. The occasion was a giant celebration of the publication of the book Agaves of Continental North America. Part of the funding for the book was from a grant from the National Academy of Science. A day after the reception, Dr. Gentry took me over to his office to share some field data and photos with me. When I asked Dr. Gentry about the fine points of funding research and writing, he smiled and said: "You know, I would rather re-write the entire book and do all of the field work all over again than I would fill out all the paper work necessary to obtain funding from the National Academy." Dr. Gentry's book is one of those rare books that speak to the scholar and to the layman. Every serious student of desert plants needs a copy of this book. I know that Dr. Gentry is in Agave heaven, visiting with Mayahuel, the Goddess of Agaves and together, they are profusely thanking the University of Arizona Press, for this important reprint!

Exhaustive, well-written, highly-detailed, indispensible for a correct classification of agaves. Nothing currently in print is as authoratative and complete

The Alchemist is a wonderful novel with insite into the 16th Century. It brings you to another dimension in time and takes you on a roller coaster ride through the period. The turmoil of these times is deeply felt and makes you appreciate the true essence of Life. It reminds you of what Giordano Bruno went through when speaking up for what he believed during a time when certain truths were unspeakable. Surfice it to say, "I thought this book was inspirational, to say the least." Take a chance and experience a reading adventure!

The Alchemist is a fascinating novel that makes you feel as if you were living during the Renaissance. It's a great historical window into the 16th Century. I especially like the focus on Alchemy - an art that is not only material but rather spiritual and leads to a real transformation of the human being.

I loved the Alchemist. It is a riveting novel and seems to have so much profound knowledge. It is also wonderful for those eager for more knowledge about the medieval philosopher Giordano Bruno whose progressive, yet ancient philosophical theories led to his death at the hands of the Inquisition in Rome.

Highly Reccomended!

David Hirschorn Coral Gables, FL

The second edition is much like the first and is at least a year behind the original schedule. See my review of the first edition to understand why this is a classical. The promised advances in missing data are included and a new author Haegerty has been added. The missing data chapter is three times longer than in the first edition. They cover what they promised. They also mention some of the econometrics literature including the work of Nobel Laureate James Heckman but admit in the preface that they do not know that literature very well and hence do not cover it in depth.

In the past two years Verbeke and Molenberghs have produced a highly competitive book that deals in detail with pattern mixture models and other missing data methodology but curiously Diggle et al. do not reference it even though they do cite some of Molenberghs work.

When this book came out in 1994 there was a great need to look differently at clinical data on subjects. Typically such data would have repeated measurements over time for many subjects but for only a few time points (say three to five). Standard analysis of variance methods do not properly account for within patient correlation between measurements. Time series analysis generally is good for treating long series (but usually only one or a few). In the clinical setting we often are considering hundreds of patients over short time intervals. This book is clearly written for intermediate level statistics students.

The field is important and rapidly developing. Though slightly dated the book is still an excellent introduction to the subject and a very good reference. However, a second edition is in the works and should be out in about one year. I recently took a short course from the authors and I know that the second edition will have some nice features including the latest advances for dealing with missing data and ways to combined the information from time to event data with the repeated measures data. It may be that if longitudinal data analysis is important to you, read the first edition at your favorite university library and save your money for the second edition.

The book includes some nice treatment of the important but often neglected topic of sample size determination.

This book was written by three very prestigious authors, two of which work at The Johns Hopkins University(Dr. Liang and Dr. Zeger), and Dr. Diggle, who is working in England. These three are very well known and respected characters in their field of work, and this book is an excellent reflection upon the research and work they have done over the years. Watch out! the key word is: GEE

These comic books have good Messages and morals for teenagers,and adults alike.A great comic series!

I think archangels is great. It show the lives of many teenagers who have difficult times in their lives and they usually turn away from everything even God! Then angels come in from god to help them. I recommend this book to teenagers.

really enjoyed these comic books. Would love to see more!!!! Great for teenagers and adults alike. Hurry with the next issues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just how did Archie meet Betty? How did his first date with Veronica turn out? Witness the evolution of Jughead's hat from the 1940's to now! This book reprints the best Archie stories that were originally published in the 1940's. Archie and the gang looked, talked, acted so differently that this is great way to get to know how they came about. Perfect for any Archie fan.

I've wanted this book for a long time and when I got it, I found out it was worth the wait. Seeing the first Archie Comics from the 1940s provided a wonderful view of what life was like back then. I have been reading Archie for all omy life, and this is a great contrast.

Let me tell you, I was looking for this book for years (literally!), and never could find it. Then, a friend made the purchase, and I found out that it was worth the wait. This is definitely a GREAT book. DEFINITELY worth buying.

This is a very well-structured, well-written book set in an alternate version of Queen Elizabeth I's reign. The settings are finely drawn, the characters are engaging, and the plot is gripping. I reread this book about once a year just for the pleasure of it, and I snapped up this hardcover when it came out. If you like alternate history and fantasy, and don't mind them mixed together, read this book. If you just want to read about people living in Elizabethan England, read this book. And if you just have to have any book with Shakespeare as a character... you, too, have some reading ahead of you.

I'm the cover illustrator, and I don't always like everything I read. Often, even if I liked a story the first time, I don't like it when I have to read it about the fifth time to check on the color of someone's shirt. Or I start noticing the lapses in historical detail or logic or characterization.

This book I still read for pleasure, even after I finished the cover. I read a lot of alternate history, and this surely ranks among the best.

This is the best work of historical fantasy, and one of the best works of historical fiction, which I have ever read. Although the universe (an alternate history Elizabethan England where magic works and where Sydney and Marlow survived the events which killed them in our time line) is fantasy, the approach is basic science fiction "what if", extrapolated on a magical rather than physcial technology. Rather than overlaying modern concepts of magic onto their characters and history, the authors present magic as it was understood by the various classes of Tudor England, and in so doing create a world that feels like reality and avoid the one-dimensionality common to much contemporary fantasy. All this, and a great read, too.

I cannot describe how thrilled I am to have arrived at the Amazon online reader review site. My name is Matthew Pennington, the book I was searching for is Peter Tangvald's "At any Cost" which I did read in a frantic fashion in 1994. I was not able to read at leisure since it was the only copy available and its owner "Thomas Tangvald" would be setting off on his modern day adventures within a week of my first page. Not only was I able to sit back and imagine the adventures of a certain Peter Tangvald but I was amongst few who could enjoy the stories told from experience by his son Thomas. I had never been inspired by the knowledge and approach to life by any other person to such an extent and doubt that I ever will again. It was a truly remarkable first year at Leeds University.
What a delight! A work lunchtime, during which I enquired via the Amazon web site with regard to the book, revealed that it was now available through this facility but also that my room mate of 1994/1995 had actually written a review on this site. Indeed, many mornings I would wake less than an arms length from Mark Blackburn in our twin room at the Bodington Hall of Residence to see Thomas walking past the window on stilts, climbing the 60 foot building in bare feet or playing his didgeridoo amongst other activities which other students could only mimic in an effort to appear different to the rest of society. Thomas really was different. He was and probably still is a one in a million "Geezer", friendly, understanding, incredibly clever but most of all eye opening in his "genuinely" unique charisma.

Since leaving University I have not seen or heard from Thomas or Mark Blackburn as both left with ambitions of travelling the world, Mark by plane and foot, Thomas by one man yacht. I did read an article in a National Newspaper which concerned Thomas leaving his yacht and swimming to shore through 15 foot waves during a storm in the River Humber. Believed dead, Thomas was later found by the coast guards to their amazement. Since then he has phoned my parents' house when he reported to my mother that he was in a phone box in the Isle of Man. I am quite sure that he will now be much further afield possibly the bahamas or other distant waters which he spent many hours recollecting tall stories to myself and Mark. I hope he is safe and that one day we will be able to meet again!

As for Mark, through Amazon I now hope to at least obtain an e-mail address and look forward to resuming a long lost friendship without the dirty socks and University studies!

Having shared student accommodation with Thomas Tangvald, son of the author, I was fortunate enough to read this book. Thomas studied Mathematics at Leeds University from 1994-1997. Living next door to him, I learnt lots about his life and I was able to read his copy of this epic book. Thomas was one of the most popular characters at University and was a genius. I lost contact 3 years ago but I have a feeling he might be with his guardians in Andorra. On the other hand, he may have ventured back to the seas. Who knows ?

Peter Tangvald was a man with great courage and a true seaman. I could not put "At any cost" down, and would wonder from chapter to chapter what Peters fate would be from port to port. He had much heartbreak in life loosing his wives and yet bringing up his children and putting their welfare first made you understand how all the women in his life must have seen the wonderful qualities in him, as a man as a father and husband. He definately was supplimented with his wives being very strong and determined women. It was shocking to learn that he and his daughter perished at sea and we will never know what or how it even happened. I am wondering how Thomas Tangvald survived and what he went on to do with his life and how it was he found his fathers writings. Did he ever see his step mother Florence and sister Carmen? It was wonderful that he did and a great tribute to his father to have them published.

This is a wonderful tie-in to the whole "Twin Peaks" mythos. The book is written in the style of a transcript of tapes that Dale Cooper made throughout his life - from childhood, through the initial Windham Earl affair, and ending with the call for Cooper to head to Twin Peaks. (Oddly enough, that's where "Diane..." the audiobook picks up.) Author Scott Frost (brother of Mark Frost, co-creator of "Twin Peaks" with David Lynch) captures the quirky nature of Dale Cooper and the Twin Peaks universe perfectly. From amusing anecdotes in childhood to experiments in college (seeing how long he can go without sleep, without urinating) and beyond, "My Life, My Tapes" helps fill in the unknown quantities of the enigmatic Dale Cooper. If you're a "Twin Peaks" fan who hasn't found a copy of this book yet, I encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful read.

I bought this book when I was in eight grade and I connected with it instantly. I'm 24 now and it is still as touching as it was then. I really feel for dale coopers's character. He has so much go wrong and yet he keeps his inocent perspective on the turbulent world around him. This my sound lame, but I think this is a truly great coming of age story.

Dale Cooper, How could someone like this write spmething like this? it's beyond me. Dale's life seems to much for anyone but he managed to keep himself together. His closest friends and family all desert him one way or another yet somehow he keeps his head up. I was so amazed by this book and this life thatI am in the process of writing a dramatic script to coinside with it. This book is someone's life this should be shared with everyone. Dale Cooper His Life- His Tapes

I own this book plus buying a copy for the lab, the book is not as thorough as the manual of clinincal microbiology by the ASM and edited by Murray. But is thorough enough for most routine bench work and is not as bulky as Murray. Murray and or Bergeys would be required for the more difficult organisms, but for everything else, or the student studying diagnostic Clinical microbiology I would rate this book highly.

OVERALL, THIS BOOK IS THE BEST. I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMENDTHIS BOOK TO MY FRIENDS. IT HAS A GREAT SECTION ON PARASITOLOGY ANDGREAT COLOR PAGES.

This edition of Bailey & Scott is the best so far. The tables included in each chapter are well organized. They present the data in an easy to look up manner. Information on individual organisms is better organized in contrast to earlier editions. One complaint is that older names and test procedures are not included. I suppose the authors wish to present the most current information but it would be nice to have a reference to an older name or test when a physician inquires.