Now that Harvard and Radcliffe have merged, records about Radcliffe College become particularly valuable. Radcliffe College was a testiment to women's drive for educational access as well as a beacon of intellectual curiosity and excellence. Indeed, Radcliffe probably stood more for academic excellence than Harvard, where there has always been a greater tradition of anti-intellectual, clubby bonhomie amongst the student body. With ample photos and text this book faithfully records the development of Radcliffe from an abstraction to a full fledged institution. It also captures the beginnings of the College's dismantling in the 1970s. All in all, the book is a valuable resource to anyone who values the underappreciated gem known as Radcliffe College.

American artist-turned-consul Henry Ferris befriends Don Ippolito, a Venitian priest, in this short novel by William Dean Howells. One summer in Venice during the Civil War period two American tourists - a Mrs. Vervain and her beautiful daughter Florida - turn to these two men for help and change their lives forever. Don Ippolito, despite his vow of celibacy, believes he is falling in love with Florida, while Ferris, all diplomacy and artistic sensibilities, finds her haughty and ill-mannered. But more than the love story, Howells seems interested in exploring the uneasy relationship between these two very different men. And the way things end up, is of course, a foregone conclusion.

Howells, one of the primary proponents of American Realism, presents us with a story that can nevertheless be viewed on many levels: as psychology, as religion, as art - the book hints at the whole world of human feeling. So why does Howells choose to tell this story of a Venetian priest who tinkers with mechanical gadgets, and an American consul who fancies himself a painter? A geo-political reading would suggest that the competition for the beautiful Florida symbolizes the struggle between the old and the new - certainly a relevant issue for post-Civil War Americans. Perhaps even more to the point, Howells may be using these characters to represent contrasting literary styles, where the priest is the dreamy romantic and the artist is the practical realist. However one chooses to interpret it, this is an entrancing story about two men at the crossroads of their lives, with exquisite prose, and some subtle moral lessons that make it well worth reading.

Of course there are some of the problems common with 19th Century fiction: the point of view makes it difficult to see the women as more than caricatures, there's absolutely no humor, and virtually no action. So if reading about the feelings and conversations of a man from a bygone era doesn't interest you, you might want to look elsewhere.

Very good explanations and data of the towns covered. I wish the author had included a more cities in the book.

This book is similiar to his others which I have read and is quite good, but his omission of Henderson Nevada (2d fastest growing in Nevada) and Boulder City Both of which are rated #1 in "Retirement Places Rated" makes it less than complete.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first great Black poet; Booker T. Washington called him the "Poet Laureate of the Negro Race". Dunbar, the son of ex-slaves, grew up in Dayton, OH, where he was friendly with the Wright Brothers. He had a successful high school career--founding editor of the school paper and elected class president of the predominantly white school--but upon graduation, he was forced to work as an elevator operator. His second book of poetry was praised by William Dean Howells and by age 24, he was one of the most renowned Black literary figures in America.

Dunbar wrote in two different styles. On the one hand, he wrote straightforward classic verse that was filled with racial pride:

THE COLORED SOLDIERS

IF the muse were mine to tempt it And my feeble voice were strong, If my tongue were trained to measures, I would sing a stirring song. I would sing a song heroic Of those noble sons of Ham, Of the gallant colored soldiers Who fought for Uncle Sam!

In the early days you scorned them, And with many a flip and flout Said "These battles are the white man's, And the whites will fight them out." Up the hills you fought and faltered, In the vales you strove and bled, While your ears still heard the thunder Of the foes' advancing tread.

Then distress fell on the nation, And the flag was drooping low; Should the dust pollute your banner? No! the nation shouted, No! So when War, in savage triumph, Spread abroad his funeral pall-- Then you called the co]ored soldiers, And they answered to your call.

And like hounds unleashed and eager For the life blood of the prey, Sprung they forth and bore them bravely In the thickest of the fray. And where'er the fight was hottest, Where the bullets fastest fell, There they pressed unblanched and fearless At the very mouth of hell.

Ah, they rallied to the standard To uphold it by their might; None were stronger in the labors, None were braver in the fight. From the blazing breach of Wagner To the plains of Olustee, They were foremost in the fight Of the battles of the free.

And at Pillow! God have mercy On the deeds committed there, An the souls of those poor victims Sent to Thee without a prayer. Let the fulness of Thy pity O'er the hot wrought spirits sway Of the gallant colored soldiers Who fell fighting on that day!

Yes, the Blacks enjoy their freedom, And they won it dearly,too; For the life blood of their thousands Did the southern fields bedew. In the darkness of their bondage, In the depths of slavery's night, Their muskets flashed the dawning, And they fought their way to light

They were comrades then and brothers, Are they more or less to-day? They were good to stop a bullet And to front the fearful fray. They were citizens and soldiers, When rebellion raised its head; And the traits that made them worthy,-- Ah! those virtues are not dead.

They have shared your nightly vigils, They have shared your daily toil; And their blood with yours commingling Has enriched the Southern soil. They have met as fierce a foeman, And have been as brave and true.

And their deeds shall find a record In the registry of Fame; For their blood has cleansed completely Every blot of Slavery's shame.

So all honor and all glory To those noble sons of Ham-- The gallant colored soldiers Who fought for Uncle Sam!

WE WEAR THE MASK

We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-- This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream other-wise, We wear the mask!

But on the other hand, he was a master of dialect poems:

AN ANTE-BELLUM SERMON.

WE is gathahed hyeah, my brothahs, In dis howlin' wildaness, Fu' to speak some words of comfo't To each othah in distress. An' we chooses fu' ouah subjic' Dis--we 'll 'splain it by an' by; "An' de Lawd said, 'Moses, Moses,' An' de man said, 'Hyeah am I.'"

Now ole Pher'oh, down in Egypt, Was de wuss man evah bo'n, An' he had de Hebrew chillun Down dah wukin' in his co'n; 'Twell de Lawd got tiahed o' his foolin', An' sez he: "I 'll let him know-- Look hyeah, Moses, go tell Pher'oh Fu' to let dem chillun go."

"An' ef he refuse to do it, I will make him rue de houah,

Fu' I 'll empty down on Egypt All de vials of my powah." Yes, he did--an' Pher'oh's ahmy Was n't wuth a ha'f a dime; Fu' de Lawd will he'p his chillun, You kin trust him evah time.

An' yo' enemies may 'sail you In de back an' in de front; But de Lawd is all aroun' you, Fu' to ba' de battle's brunt. Dey kin fo'ge yo' chains an' shackles F'om de mountains to de sea; But de Lawd will sen' some Moses Fu' to set his chillun free.

An' de lan' shall hyeah his thundah, Lak a blas' f'om Gab'el's ho'n, Fu' de Lawd of hosts is mighty When he girds his ahmor on. But fu' feah some one mistakes me, I will pause right hyeah to say, Dat I 'm still a-preachin' ancient, I ain't talkin' 'bout to-day.

But I tell you, fellah christuns, Things 'll happen mighty strange; Now, de Lawd done dis fu' Isrul, An' his ways don't nevah change, An' de love he showed to Isrul Was n't all on Isrul spent; Now don't run an' tell yo' mastahs Dat I 's preachin' discontent.

'Cause I is n't; I 'se a-judgin' Bible people by deir ac's; I 'se a-givin' you de Scriptuah, I 'se a-handin' you de fac's. Cose ole Pher'oh b'lieved in slav'ry, But de Lawd he let him see, Dat de people he put bref in,-- Evah mothah's son was free.

An' dahs othahs thinks lak Pher'oh, But dey calls de Scriptuah liar, Fu' de Bible says "a servant Is a-worthy of his hire." An' you cain't git roun' nor thoo dat, An' you cain't git ovah it, Fu' whatevah place you git in, Dis hyeah Bible too 'll fit.

So you see de Lawd's intention, Evah sence de worl' began, Was dat His almighty freedom Should belong to evah man, But I think it would be bettah, Ef I 'd pause agin to say, Dat I 'm talkin' 'bout ouah freedom In a Bibleistic way.

But de Moses is a-comin', An' he 's comin', suah and fas' We kin hyeah his feet a-trompin', We kin hyeah his trumpit blas'. But I want to wa'n you people, Don't you git too brigity; An' don't you git to braggin' 'Bout dese things, you wait an' see.

But when Moses wif his powah Comes an' sets us chillun free, We will praise de gracious Mastah Dat has gin us liberty; An' we 'll shout ouah halleluyahs, On dat mighty reck'nin' day, When we 'se reco'nised ez citiz'-- Huh uh! Chillun, let us pray!

Inevitably, in a Reconstruction America that was both nostalgic and regionalist, his dialect poems were wildly popular & tended to overshadow his more serious verse. As a result, he has always been a figure of some controversy in Black America; alternately dismissed for popularizing a derogatory stereotype of Blacks and hailed as a great literary figure. Dunbar captures this dichotomy in his own poem, The Poet:

The Poet

He sang of life, serenely sweet, With , now ant then, a deeper note. From some high peak, nigh yet remote, He voiced the world's absorbing beat.

He sang of love when earth was young, And Love, itself, was in his lays. But ah, the world, it turned to praise A jingle in a broken tongue.

Given the perspective of 100 years, it seems to me that he deserves to be read by all Americans.

GRADE: B+

Sally Harrison's book is an excellent overview of the horses, people, and events that make cutting such an intriguing sport. She includes fascinating insights into the lives and histories of some of the immortal horses of the sport, from Poco Bueno to "Little Peppy" (Peppy San Badger), with commentary on what made them so great. The section on Doc Bar and the "two fools," as well as the description of the day Poco Bueno inspired Pine Johnson to adopt the not-quite-classic habit all cutting riders now favour, are in themselves worth the price of the book.

Harrison includes plenty of people in her story as well, from classic trainers like Buster Welch, Pine Johnson and Leon Harrel, to avid non-pros. All of these people give anecdotal explanations of why the sport and the horses have such a hold on them. Letting people like this tell their stories makes for entertaining and often rather moving reading.

There's one odd, and rather amusing, aspect of this book -- when I tried to look up Leon Harrel in the index I couldn't find him. Then I realized that none of the humans quoted or described in the book are listed in the index. You can look up every passing reference to Smart Date or Doc O Lena, but Harrison appears to have left the people out of the index entirely. That alone tells you all you need to know about Harrison's love for horses and cutting.

My only complaint is that I wanted more and yet more details. This book could have been twice as long and I would still have read it in a sitting.

Ms. Howells' account of Derrida's development and the philosophical roots of deconstruction renders his writings understandable for those not well-versed in the continental tradition, while not at the expense of over-simplification or distortion. However, the truth is that when it comes to Derrida there are no conclusive answers, which is precisely his point about the Western philosophical project. Ms. Howells explains Derridean notions such as the infamous differance, the trace, etc... in lucid prose and does not gloss over the slippery and nuanced character of his fundamental insights. She gives a well-reasoned account of Derrida's critiques of Husserl and Sausure, which is essential for understanding the geneology of Derrida's claims about meaning and his challenge to the metaphysical tradition. Although Christopher Norris and Jonathan Culler have also written digestible introductory texts, they are now outdated. Ms. Howells also discusses Derrida's ethical and political interests and addresses the influence of Levinas on his thinking. This is a good place to start for those who are tired of the facile dismissals of Derrida (by people who either have not read the primary texts, or misunderstood them). After this book you may want to consider "Radical Hermeneutics" by John Caputo which deals with Derrida at a greater philosophical depth.

This is an excellent reprint of Howell's original 19th century work. It is a reference work bulging with kinship details rather than a masterpiece of prose. For collectors, first editions run up to $1K. For those who are after only the information it contains, rather than a book for display purposes, the same is available on CDROM for ~$...

This is THE classic technical book for power engineering as directly applied to oil and gas fields. It IS suitible for foremen, team members, engineers, anyone with any college experience. While it does include abstract, power engineering math, anyone working in an oil field can benefit.

The electric power aspects of oil extraction for primary recovery and waterflooding are well covered. This is down to nuts and bolts - what motor? what starter? what wire and field transformer?

This book was originally written in 1962 and updated in 1981. Some of the costs are out of date but the basic electric power information is still correct. Electrical power considerations for other forms of OER are not covered, since they were not common in 1962.

This book is hard to find, demand being low.

I would rate it 5 stars if it were updated and included sections on modern developments: progressive cavity oil pumping, steam flooding, higher effeciency motor types and applications, variable frequency drive applications.

I am an Emergency Medicine resident, using this book as required reading in my program. This text is well written and organized. The first few chapters review the basics of resuscitation and procedues. This is followed by a systematic review of Emergency Medicine, first the medical, then surgical, then misc (tox, environmental, OB-GYN). The chapter are set up into prehospital care for doctors doing online medical control, then the ABC's, then background, presentation, clinical features, treatment, and concludes with special considerations and pertinent pediatric apects. It is readable and gives a good review of Emergency Medicine.