If you buy this book, I strongly suggest a companion volume THE IMMORTALIST MANIFESTO by Elixxir. It goes beyond what R. Michael Perry has done in this book. Instead of putting most of our eggs into the Cryonics (i.e. freezing) basket, THE IMMORTALIST MANFIESTO, in stirring minimalist prose, provides a most compelling vision of the coming Immortalist Society, and how it will arrive. And it argues that the anti-aging life-extension breakthroughs are not likely to come in time for most of us, especially baby boomers, unless there is an Immortalist Movement powerful enough to make such breakthroughs happen soon.

Why read this book? It just might save your life.

Large part of this book is an argument, that present human beings may already be immortal by their very nature. Two basic assumtions are made, which the Author calls unboundedness and interchangeability. They amount to a many worlds multiverse (Everett Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics) and a pattern theory of identity, which should lead to abundance of all patterns and thus immortality of all persons without further saying. Yet somewhat half of the book is focused on working out the details.

For myself, being a more down-to-earth immortalist, this part was quite hard to get through and I must admit that I even left out some pages. The assumtion of personal interchangeability I find especially hard to accept. For an argument how it leads itself astray see John Perry's short but comprehensive "Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality" (Hackett).

It must be mentioned to the author's favor that he keeps on reminding us that his basic assumtions are to be regarded as working hypothesis, which need reconsidering when more information will be available.

Thus I was mainly interested in the second part which, after considering our motives to strife for eternal life, provides an extensive investigation of today's scientific prospects for immortality. Discussion ranges from such technical topics as cryonics, biochemical anti-aging research, nanotechnology, computer science and brain-computer interfacing to ethical and psychological ones the like free will, personal responsibility, gaming theory, dangers of Nietzschean eternal return, personal identity, memory problems, theology and more.

For the widespread opposition or indifference towards immortalism, a powerful memetic/genetic explanation is provided and possible counterstrategies are pointed at. The book helps the already convinced immortalist to develop his own moral standpoint, as well as it may introduce and fascinate the skeptic. We are called for an active stance in bringing about what many do not dare dream of.

All in all, overlooking the lengthy and not always really productive discussions in the first half, for the most comprehensive summary of today's immortalist thought and a beautiful read: Five Stars !

One of the most information-rich books ever published on an obscure subject. A subject that has normally dealt with by mystics, or cast aside by cynics. A splendid companion to Frank Tipler's Physics of Immortality, David Deutsch's Fabric of Reality, and Hans Moravec's Mind Children, and Robot, and Julian Barbour's "The End of Time", and also the papers of Max Tegmark.

The work deals with the subject of post mortem survival from two basic angles. The first is his involvement with cryo-preservation as a pssible means of medical restoration of life. The other, and in my opinion, more profound avenue; is Perry's investigation of the Cosmological potentiallities that exist in physics and the burgeoning capabilities of computation.

Also, R. Michael Perry examines what many thinkers from different disciplines regard as what is being preserved or reconstitued; what is your identity, what is your personality, what is the sense of self, that we all seem to know, but find difficult to precisely, define? Perry also focuses on the works of several physicists who dwell upon the possibilities of Multiple Universes-what the author calls "Unboundedness". This is just like Physicist, Julian Barbor's Platonia, in which all logically possible universes may indeed occur!

Perry continues with and examination of Good and Evil and what is preserved, and what is remidied. My only caveat, for this book is to those of religious bent who require "scripture" for their emotional needs. R. Michael Perry is a logical positivist, and is atheistic in direction. Yet, I for one, can see this as a plus, because if the author can explore and define possibilities for post-mortem survival; then "God" as the ultimate Mind in existence is practically a given--providing enormous amounts of time for the development of minds and mind that are trans-universal!

As I mentioned before, Perry works at one of the few cryo-preservation labs in the world, do if you need more information on cryo-preservation; or Biostasis, as the author terms it, this is an excellent source of data regarding this. I myself find the "cosmological" areas of the book much more compelling; since much of the biostatsis work seems at this point, in need of much greater research.

The work is a work of an essay into philosophy as much as it is a work of science and sdvocacy. I am glad I purchased it, because good news, even as a bit of purely materialist, good news, this is not a thing to turn down (you can't anyway!). The old phrase; "all this and Heaven too", comes to mind. Worth the bucks, in this reader's opinion.

Perry creates an easy and enjoyable read while at the same time providing deep insight into the lives of tenant farmers in the Depression-era deep South at the dawn of the welfare state. The author's resourceful and loyal creation is Sam Tucker and his family, whom Perry portrays as hardworking, neighborly, poverty stricken, and yet content. The story follows a myriad of concerns that faced many, if not most, poor and uneducated tenant farmers in East Texas during the 1930's. Whether White, Black, or Hispanic, they all faced the same obstacles of bad weather, ravenous insects, sick children, or belligerant neighbors. But Tucker, despite all of these unfortunate setbacks and tragedies, is able to maintain, sometimes through sheer will, an enviable optimism and determination to press on for the provision of his loved ones. Now Tucker is no "too good to be true" fellow, he indeed has faults, and it is these faults, as well as his responses to the tragic events that unfold in the story, that help to paint the lucid image of his glowing humanity and that of his family.

Interestingly, the book has a number of not so subtle parallels to a certain Steinbeck novel of the same period.

Highly recommended.

I was introduced to this book in a Texas literature class in college and was completely charmed by it. Then I shared it with my grandfather, who spent his youth "workin' on the halves" in the very country inhabited by the characters in this book, the blackland prairie of Texas. My grandfather is not normally a voracious reader of anything besides the newspaper and the Bible, but he zipped through this book in a few days. As he returned it to me he said with a grin, "I didn't think he was gonna get it all in there, but he did!" A tribute to the authentic feel of the story. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in agrarian traditions, sharecropping, the 1930s, or the durability of the human spirit.

This book uses extreme poverty as a backdrop to reveal the lyricism of the struggle to survive. In these days when materialism and cynicism are rampant, this book shows how "Just enough" is beautiful and satisfactory. I read this book as a young girl and its poetry is with me still

I'm a nursery professional, and I use this book extensively in planning areas and helping clients. I consider it a "must-have" for our area. The book is organized in very useful sections: plant groupings, water conservation, design checklists, & a good plant encyclopedia for the So. California region. Color photos make it more attractive than the more popular 'Sunset' book, & I prefer it because of its focus on appropriate plant use.

Essential for landscape architects, great reference book due to Perry's knowledge in plants.

Two years ago I had a hillside full of fire hazardous weeds and no knowledge of gardening. After a four day ordeal of clearing the brush I decided to plant the hillside and knew next to nothing about what would grow there, how to plant the shrubs, how much to water and what pests might attack. I only knew I wanted to use California natives but I didn't know any names and the only latin I remembered was from my Catholic boyhood. After a one hour session with a garden consultant and visits to the Theodore Payne foundation I discovered Bob Perry's books and a whole world opened up to me. Mr. Perry is a legend in gardening circles and this beautiful book is the fount of much wisdom. Everything I have learned about gardening in these two years I learned from Bob Perry and my plants. I have scoured the immense gardening book collection at Central libary (the largest west of the Mississippi) and find this book to be the cream of the crop. Not only are the color pictures terribly important in making choices, the advice is impeccable and the variety offered is exhaustive.Thanks to Mr. Perry and his superb books I now have a garden of some seventy natives, all doing well and giving me great joy. Some day I would like to meet the man and shake his hand but for now I can only recommend his books highly.

This book has some interesting tidbits and some cute details about women's life 100 years ago. Lots of info about how they dressed and personal hygiene and some housework information. It is an easy read. The book is over 200 pages, but the margins are huge. I'm an old house fanatic and a history buff and this book didn't quite hit the spot for me, but it's in my personal library as a good reference work.

However, if you can only buy one or two books about life 100 years ago, I'd recommend "Never done" by Susan Strasser and "Victorian America" by Thomas Schlereth.

These books get to the nitty gritty and have more substance. Again, "Light of the Home" is not a bad book - I bought it, after all and I kept it! It's in my top five favorite books of women's life in history. I'd just put a couple books above it, in my personal preferences.

I really like this book, and highly recommend it.
It's great for anyone interested in the Victorian era.
It talks about women's fashion's in that era and their
way of life. It has some good illustrations a well.

After remodeling my home with victorian woodwork and accessories, I was curious about the lifestyle of the average victorian. The book contains numerous pictures and historical information which gave me a broad understanding of their lives.

I found this in a Bennington, VT bookstore after my wife Andi pointed it out and bought it right away based on a warm description of how loving a cat could be, even moments after killing and gutting a grouse. Berkeley does a wonderful job of showing that duality of cats, of how at once they're incredibly close to us they are as well as being close to natural hunting machines. Warmly written, funny and touching, she also fills out the book with very well-researched scientific info on feral cats, and cat populations. A must-read if you're a cat person and owner.

This book is out of print and copyrighted 1987, but it's the only book I found with information regarding a feral cat colony. The author's experiences with the feral cats living around her Vermont home are a delightful insight into the person/cat relationship, and her interest, curiosity, and research regarding the realities of feral cat colonies is incredibly useful to me, as a lay person is just starting to trap, spay/neuter, and return strays and ferals in the Los Angeles area. A must-read!

I was hooked! I love cats, and all other felines for that matter, but fiction is more my range. This, however, is a great book! I LOVED IT!!! A must read! Yay! Heheh!

This book is lacking in some important areas. No carburetors, no transmissions, no brakes. Need to know how to adjust your mousetrap, change springs on a springer, or fix a leak on your hydraulic front end? You won't find it in this book. The topics it does cover are great, easy to understand, and well detailed. The bottom line is I do use this book and it has become a permanent part of my shop library.

I am looking into buying a Pan, and searching for more than anecdotal information. This book is the best source of Pan info I have read so far. It helped me realize that a Pan wasn't the best choice, and that I would need to spend a lot of time wrenching, instead of riding.

I wish they'd write one for Shovelheads!!

It has taken me close to a year to write this,cause the proof is in the pudding.I know I have done everything short of capital crimes, to get the information this fellow is GIVING you for a mere fifty dollars.From A to Z Kirk gives you ALL. I have restored pans for 20 years,Kirk my hats off to you an all who helped AAAAA+++. This is the book. I have had my nose in an out of it since it arrived.I have found everything to be right on the money. I know that`s the stuff that makes it best. The Truth. this is what it`s all about.Kirt THANK-YOU

Musichound Swing is a good guide for folks who are looking to expand their CD collections. I thought that I'd exhausted all of my possibilities, but it ends up that I'd barely scraped the surface. For the most part, the guide is right on with it's reviews. However, they are rather unkind to the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra, giving the 1st CD, 'Swing Fever' a 2 out 5 and the 2nd CD 'Calling All Jitterbugs' a 3 out of 5. It does refer to the band as 'Top Notch', but yet gives relatively low ratings. I hope that the book doesn't steer people away from the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra, as they are a fine band, in the mold of the Dorceys & Benny Goodman. The book is, on the other hand, too kind to Lee Press-On & the Nails, giving it a 4 out of 5. I didn't think the band was particularly strong in it's CD. It's horn section seemed to be struggling with the material at times. The band is great live and has developed quite a bit. Time for a new CD? A nice feature in the book is that each bands' influences, as well as bands that they influenced are listed at the end of each entry. However, the book does point out a few bands that influenced the Big 6 (a great UK swing/rockabilly combo) and yet there is no listing for the band. They have 2 great CDs out and even had a song in the recent movie 'The Truman Show', so surely they deserve an entry!? All in all, this is a really decent book and one that deserves a spot on every Swing fan's bookshelf.

This is an ambitious volume, in that it attempts to cover the "old swing" bands of the thirties and forties and the neo-swing groups of today, as well as those who bridged the gap between them. It succeeds to a remarkable degree. Particularly if you haven't kept up with all of the neo-swing groups to appear in the last few years, this book serves as an excellent introduction. The same goes for those on the other side of the generational divide who want to explore the genesis of this style. Extra credit goes to the editors for remembering some of the often-overlooked swing artists of the past, like Helen Humes, Andy Kirk and Lucky Millinder. There are some questionable inclusions (such as Lawrence Welk, who wouldn't know swing if it clogged up his bubble machine, and Guy Lombardo[!]), as well as some glaring omissions (where is Big Time Operator? and if Will Bradley and Ray McKinley don't deserve separate listings, at least they should have a joint one), but generally the listings are right on, even if they don't initially seem to ring true. (Both Kay Kyser and Ozzie Nelson could swing more than most people recall.) If you can't find a particular artist, there is an index listing where he may appear in other volumes in this series. Which brings up a couple disagreements I have: Natalie Cole is in the R&B and Lounge volumes, but she has certainly shown on some tracks on her "Take a Look" and "Unforgettable" albums that she also deserves a place here. And who knows where Boyd Raeburn should go; I would put him in the jazz volume. But I'm beginning to quibble.

Since the ratings of the individual CDs are so subjective, it would be easy to quibble with any number of them. I agree with the earlier reviewer who took issue with the ratings give the Bill Elliott CDs, and I could point out others. On the average, however, the ratings do not differ too greatly with what most knowledgeable listeners would arrive at. Even those listeners with large collections and hardened pre-conceived ideas (that seems to describe me pretty well) can learn quite a bit. Out of the wealth of material available by Duke Ellington, I don't think I would have zeroed in on the All Star Road Band albums without this book pointing the way. The system of identifying what to buy first and next is a great benefit to the beginner (either to the swing genre or to a particular artist). I also appreciate the recommendations as to what hard-to-find items to seek out, even if they are on vinyl. (No, my full set of the Bluebird Charlie Barnet LP twofers mentioned is not for sale at any price.) However, it is these ratings, while the key to the book, are also its downfall. Inevitably, and sooner rather than later, this volume will be outdated as new groups form, new recordings are issued, and more old material is newly released. Too bad the publishers can't follow the lead of law book publishers and issue pocket parts when needed. Instead, we'll just have to buy the new edition when it comes out.

I should mention the CD included with the book. It contains a good variety of current lesser-known acts and is nice to have in its own right, but of the seven tracks, three of the artists are not listed in the text at all while the track by a fourth is from a CD not listed. All of these flaws are really minor, and more likely to provoke serious discussions than criticisms. One thing this volume does lack is a general definition of "swing". We all know that it don't mean a thing if it ain't got it, but what is it? I guess in the words of Louis Armstrong (who said this about jazz), "Man, if you have to ask, you'll never know."

New for 1999, MusicHound's Swing! contains all the information that any swing fan, new or old, will need. Pages upon pages of what records to buy. Reviews of classic Big Bands, 21st Century Swing, and jump-blues artists. Each review contains a history of the artist, which records to pick up and which ones to avoid. You will save money by owning this bok. In addition MusicHound's Swing lists swing related books and websites. This is truly the last swing book that you will need to buy.

For the busy orthopaedic surgery and ER residents, this pocket "text" provides pertinent information regarding common fractures with focus on surgical options and relevant anatomy. Though not as detailed as other texts (i.e. Skeletal Trauma by Browner et al., and Hoppenfeld's Surgical Exposures...), the handbook comes close to providing the necessary information for appropriate evaluation and treatment of the patient with an orthopaedic injury. The second edition is a significant improvement over the first and would highly recommend this even for non-surgical physicians in private practice.

This is a good book for everyday use. The format is brief yet helpful. It is a good book for residents,physician assistants and students in the early stages. I use it also to refresh my memory when I encounter something I have not seen in awhile.

Excellent text! I reviewed a friends copy and had to have one for myself. The text is well organized into the various musculoskeletal regions with thorough explinations of common and not so common injuries, including the recommended treatment. The illustrations are easily understood and add a great deal to the effectivness of this book. It is designed to fit into a lab coat pocket, and will make a handy reference.

Although I wish there was more text, the great photos give you a pretty good idea about the gear heads, the drivers, the races, and those incredible salt flats.

No word to decribe. A masterpiece

If you like the american way of hot roddind this pictorial is THE BOOK! it has everything from shops to cars to bonniville.... IT ROCKS

If you are serious about wanting this information, save your money and buy Detecting Women and/or Detecting Men. (The paperback edition of Detecting Women doesn't cost much more.) Killer Books is a good effort, but did not provide much information and was not current. If it had not been for the postage, I would have returned it.

If you are like me you are constantly looking for mystery writers that produce those "too good to put down books". Tired of grabbing books off the library shelves onyl to find that they don't keep your interest at all or they aren't very good? This book enumerates lots of authors. It includes the type of books they write (Private Eyes, Legal mysteries, etc.) as well as awards they've won. They also sometimes list their best books. I'm going to use this book to make my mystery choices from now on!

Jean Swanson and Dean James have created a reference book that needs to be placed in a handy location for the true mystery aficionado. Each chapter is divided into categories: suspense/psychological, historical mysteries, legal thrillers, etc. At the beginning of each chapter is a brief essay about the chapter. This includes TV shows that are representative of each sub-genre. Authors, by sub-genre, are also listed in alphabetical order, with an overview of each writer and his/her special series described in comprehensive detail.

As the editors gracefully point out, this the reference book is no means totally inclusive or intended to be so. However, the variety, description, and detail allow readers to choose the type of books, by a wide selection of authors that they would likke to try next. Like the editors who seem to have enjoyed this labor of love, this reviewer found the work to be scholarly but interesting, far from a dry non-fiction read.

Harriet Klausner