If Jantzen's view of art history seems lifeless and distant, Henry Sayre has something to say to you. It's the best survey I've seen in terms of making art accessible and demonstrating a continuing tradition. The CD-ROM is an excellent bonus, especially for readers who have never seen an artist at work. Ever wonder how a print is made? There's a demonstration.

This book is absolutely fabulous! It covers a wide array of art and is very informative! I have actually has a couple of art history classes with him and he is amazing! One of the best professors I've ever had. He knows everything!

This book is by the world's whisk(e)y expert and it shows. Unlike many books on whisk(e)y that limit themselves to Scotch and maybe Irish, this book also includes extensive sections on Bourbon, Tennessee Whisk(e)y and Canadian. Mr. Murray does not categorically state that Scotch is better than Bourbon or vice versa. He understands that each has their own particular qualities.

Mr. Murray has visited all of the North American distilleries as well as the Irish and Scotch distilleries and he describes them all. He gives one a feel for each distillery. He also offers some of his suggestions for the best whisk(e)y of each type. This is truly an outstanding guidebook to the whisk(e)y industry and its products.

One Note: The text in this book is essentially the same as his The Complete Guide to Whiskey : A Guide to the Worlds Best Scotch Malts, Irish Whiskeys, and Bourbons (Pocket Guide Series). Admittedly this is a much prettier book though. Enjoy

Okay, maybe he's not a poet, maybe he's a whisk(e)y writer, but Mr. Murray has a poet heart. In my opinion, and I have read all the whisky books I can get ahold of, Jim Murray is the quintessential whisky writer. No library is complete without his books. With Mr. Murray, you're not just reading about the characteristics of a whisky, you're being teleported from your arm chair to the distillery with first class grace and charm. You won't just find out how the whisky tastes, you'll feel warm sunshine on your face, you'll smell heather as you stroll the Highlands in search of your favorite dram.

Prepare to be baptized: this man knows that a bit of countryside is in every bottle, and he will immerse you in the total whisky experience. He may wax poetic, but as he readily confesses, "I do have a passion."

So will you, if you get this book.

Friedland and Folt are the Strunk and White of proposal writing. They have written a clear, concise guide to scientific proposal writing that captures the essence of the scientific enterprise.

Writing a PhD prospectus can be pretty intimidating. Where do you start? What do you include? What do you not include? This little book has the answers, and it has been an enormous help to me as I write my own proposal. Friedland and Folt's book is very clear and well-written, and full of practical information on how to write a clear, concise, and exciting proposal. Exercises along the way help to guide you step-by-step through the whole thought process. With this book in hand, writing a prospectus almost seems easy! This book should be sent to all first-year students, along with their registration materials.

YOUNG HICKORY
The Making of Andrew Jackson
Hendrik Booraem

Character and personality are shaped, it is generally believed, almost entirely in the early years. When the poet William Wordsworth says, "the child is father of the man" he echoes an earlier poet, John Milton, who said, "childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day."

In this excellent biography by Hendrik Booraem we learn of the time, the events and the people that bent the twig that would grow into Old Hickory, the seventh president of the United States -- Andrew Jackson.

Old Hickory is but one of the many nicknames that adhered to President Jackson. It is a wonderfully appropriate name. The quality of hickory is strength and endurance; it is the perfect handle for any striking tool that delivers great force and will not break on impact. He was also called the Hero of New Orleans, Duel Fighter and Sharp Knife. It will probably never be known just how many duels Jackson fought, or even how many men he killed in the process. As president, Jackson was feared for his rages. They seemed uncontrollable, yet it is believed he used his anger as a precision tool to intimidate and control others.

"Young Hickory" provides a fascinating account of Jackson's life up to age 21. Biographer, Hendrik Booraem is a noted historian; this is his third book focused on the adolescent years of an American President. I have not read his first, "The Road to Respectability" (1988) about President James A. Garfield. But, I have read and reread "The Provincial" (1994) Booraem's penetrating take on Calvin Coolidge. That careful and insightful book goes further to explain the character of the 30th president than does any other single book published in the last 50 years. In the case of Coolidge -- Booraem's research is exhaustive and painstaking. Often, he discovered neglected primary sources or assigned a new spin to an old story. I can only assume that the same quality is present in his book on Jackson. Where the record is not clear, and that is often the case, he provides you with the divergent accounts and his reasons for the one he chooses and the basis for his informed speculation.

The style of this book is literate and graceful; the words conduct you to the world of young Andy Jackson and make you glad you took the journey. Young Hickory was born on March 15, 1767. He grew up in South Carolina and considered himself a native of that state. There is some basis for the stoutly held contention that he was in fact born in North Carolina. As a boy, Jackson endured hardship and suffering. It is a wonder that he survived his youth. But, let's have Rik Booraem speak from his preface:

"The story of his early life, which unfolded during the American Revolution in the Carolinas, is highly dramatic. He nearly died of small pox after being wounded and imprisoned at the age of fourteen. The war destroyed his home and his immediate family. He constructed an entirely new identity to replace the one he had lost. After becoming a successful lawyer, he turned his attention toward the land west of the mountains."

Young Hickory carries you along like a boat in a spring flood. The story of the British campaign in the Carolinas is as well-told as I have ever read. Booraem is a fine story-teller and paints an unforgettable picture of those exciting times. -

Zero Challenge Dynamics is an excellent tool for review and problem solving in Engineering dynamics.

I found the pictorial table of contents and outline format to be extremely easy to use. Equations are derived from first principles and all problems are solved without leaving out any of the steps, very valuable when reviewing any material.

I wish I had this book when I was first learning dynamics. It explains the material much better than the professor did.

This book has several excellent unique features that differentiate it from "conventional" dynamics texts.

Unlike most texts, which tend to ramble, the notes are written much like you would take notes in class, i.e. succinctly. This makes it much easier to learn or review the material.

Secondly, every equation in the book is labelled in the format of, say, (5d), which means equation d on page 5. This is very useful for looking up the derivation of a certain equation. For example, on page 64, equation (64c) is derived from equation (5d).

Also, these equations are derived without skipping steps, unlike most texts, which skip many steps. (The solved problems in this book also go through all the steps, which is also unlike most texts.)

The pictorial table of contents is also very useful in searching for a particular type of solved problem. For example, if I want to find a problem involving the final impact velocity of a car colliding with a wall, I just look at the pictorial table of contents and find that it is on page 98.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to learn or review dynamics.

This is one of the few books that should be on the library shelves at all levels of education, from the middle school up through the bachelor's degree. A collection of short essays written by people who work in many different areas, it is a demonstration of the enormous number of ways math is used in the modern world. By reading this book, anyone contemplating a career in mathematics or one that uses mathematics can understand the value of taking mathematics courses.
The people interviewed includes math teachers at all levels, actuaries working for the insurance industry, people who work with computers, others who work in industry and some in the public sector. None of the jobs is the same as any of the others, even if their job descriptions are the same. From these essays, it is clear that no two math jobs are the same. The joy and excitement that these people have about their work also comes through very strongly, demonstrating that mathematics knowledge is a path to exciting and interesting work. Given the unsettled nature of employment at this time, it is comforting to anyone contemplating a career path when they hear that mathematics is a skill that is very transferable and one that employers desire.
There are so many myths that permeate the collective psyche of society. One of the most pervasive (and incorrect) is that there is no use for math outside of the classroom. That is wrong, and this book contains 101 existence proofs of the contrary.

Published in the recreational mathematics newsletter, reprinted with permission.

This is a wonderful book, aimed at the novice but containing plenty of information to please the veteran wine lover. It is written in an entertaining, visual style and is a delight to read. If you have already read the others, you will still find much to enjoy here, and you may learn more than you thought "wine 101" could teach you.

This book is very valuable and practical. OVer and over again when I read this book I thought; "wow, that idea I gotta implement right now". Its very down to earth and doesnt just talk about the stuff, It tells you the nuts and bolt on how to implement it! This book is great and I highly recommend it!

The introduction presents an outstanding overview of how the war came about, and is followed by the most complete bibliography of the conflict yet published.

...but does anyone know if there's a 1999 edition...