This textbook was written for senior undergraduates or master's students with a minimum introduction to economics, which assumes that the student has assimilated the general features of the approach defining economics as a social science. Consequently, any student or reader who is well grounded in the social science paradigm will readily assimilate this excellent introduction to development economics, which is distinguished by the solid, I would even say, jam-packed expertise of Debraj Ray.

The author gives an excellent overview in the four-page preface, where he acknowledges the limitations of his work and prepares the reader well by conveying a transparent framework for absorbing the rather dense exposition that follows.

There is in the second chapter a concise discussion of the meaning of economic development, which defines it as a multifaceted concept for which per capita income is a robust but significantly incomplete operational measure.

Throughout the book, the basic pattern of discussion is consistent. The author discusses theory and data in dynamic--the order of the two is interchangeable--identifying and discriminating what is substantiated, imperfect, or defective in theory, as well as what is informative, unexplained, or wanting in data, and then whenever possible drawing implications or conclusions for economic policy. The ultimate goal of author's analysis is to limn the "structural characteristics" of economic development, building upon the fundamental assumption that the key determinants of economic performance are a cohort of salient variables that affect the efficient functioning of markets.

Some of the variables that are intensively discussed include inequality, poverty, population growth, rural-urban sector interaction, the functioning of land, labor, capital, credit, and insurance markets, and trade policy. Not all factors that affect economic development are adequately quantified, such as social norms or the status quo. Interestingly, the author accounts rather well for the "East Asian miracle" in terms of some of these variables.

The two appendices at the end cover game theory and elementary statistical methods, both essential for the scientific understanding of economic development.

Designed for an introductory course, the textbook is of course weakly regardful of new ideas or studies, so that it will not bring the reader to any eager appreciation of exciting issues in the discipline--or maybe economics inherently IS a dismal science?

From the standpoint of social science, the textbook is surpassingly descriptive and analytical but to only a limited extent prescriptive. I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to substantively understand economic development in an analytical and scientific mode.

in my view, ray touches on - and on a quite satisfactory way - the most important issue in economics in his book, namely, how to turn poor countries or poor individuals into rich ones. those who don't live in poor countries should become concerned about the poverty hitting the globe as soon as possible. And the best way to do it is to purchase this book. it's a clear, well-written, comprehensive and even fun reading.

Ray wrote this book with the objective of being one of the classical text books for Development Economics. And he did it. This book is used in LSE, Ivy League, and Oxford. It requires a strong microeconomic background, as well as econometric skills. There aren't a lot of formulas but theory. Easy reading and broad contents.

I bought this book to study for a quiz-out test for my Psych major. I read through three chapters the first time I picked it up. I usually have to force myself to complete an assignment, but with this book I just kept reading with no pushing whatsoever! I highly recommend this book to anyone taking a class in this subject, whether or not it is the required text. It would be a great additional information source. It is helpful if you or someone you know may be going through any type of drug or alcohol treatment--from caffeine to heroin. I also enjoyed the online quizzes you are allowed to access once you have the book. It really enforces what you have learned.

I thought this was an excellent source of informaion. I used it for a class and earned an A. Very thorough and easy to understand. Lay terms are frequently used and I found I learned a lot and found it very valuable.

This book is the source for unbiased information on the sociological, psychological, pathological effects of "drugs" - this compendium covers everything from caffeine to antipsychotics to alcohol to psychedelics and everything in between. A review of the history of each drug introduces each chapter. Careful attention is paid to not only the effects of the drugs themselves, but the effect which they have on our laws and the way in which treat addiction.

As a former student of Dr. Ray's I can attest to the thoroughness of this work. It is the one book that doesn't tell you what to think about drugs - it provides you with the data to be informed to make your own decision. In fact the DEA uses this book in training! If you are looking for a comprehensive resource for school, your own interest, or just to be informed to talk to your kids, look no further.

This is THE book about Charles and Ray Eames. Beautifully printed and designed and with more than 3500 photos to explore the work, year by year, of these two famous designers. The range of work is amazing, furniture (domestic and commercial) films, exhibitions, architecture, books even toys. I have a set of his 1952 House of Cards, a deck of fifty-four playing-card size cards that can be interlocked to create three dimensional structures, a very simple idea beautifully conceived.

I think the book easily reflects the joy and stimulation that Charles and Ray Eames got out of the creative process.

An exceptionally comprehensive year-by-year summary of the work of the Eames Office from the early 1940s to the late 1970s. Covers everything equally -- from wartime plywood experiments and herman miller furniture to toys, exhibitions, and, of course, films. A must for anyone interested in Eames design. Full of hard-to-find information and photos of rarely seen items.

This is an excellent survey of the work of the Eames studio. It provides a chronological survey of the furniture, films, exhibits, and other work of the studio. It even provides a listing of the Eames staff at each point and time. Lavishly illustrated, it provides photographs of furniture, exhibits, and stills from the over 100 films produced by the Eames's. Highly recommended as the one book you must have about their work.

When I first looked at this book, I found I didn't understand it at all. It took me a few years to begin to get into it...then it opened up to me and I couldn't put it down. I'm a professional astrologer now and I keep coming back to this Master work and get more out of it every time. This is one you'll have on your bookshelf for many years. My advice is to savor it slowly. Enjoy!

This book was given to me by an astrologer. He understood the complexities contained therein. I'm in my 5th reading and I still have much to learn since astrology is not my forte. Yet, with each reading I absorb a bit more about the Logos, the Will of God, the hidden Light of God and the Life of Light... Slowly, I experienced self-consciousness as a necessary step in man's evolution. Recognition of the Christ life and nature, as it expresses itself in daily living to the aspirant was seen to happen in my life in the hope that awareness as lived by the initiate will eventually be mine. A book to be read, re-read and lived. A book to pick up often, daily, for many years to come.

The master work on astrology, now updated and made more understandable by Dr. Douglas Baker's work of the same name, available from Baker Publications in England. Put Baker's Dictionary of Astrology with it and you can comprehend true astrology for the first time, and forever.

You may think you're buying a copy of "From A Distance" for that special child in your life, or maybe for a loved one -- but I suggest, nay warn you ;-), that you better order an extra copy for yourself. This book is exquisite -- it's a journey of colors, words, images and of music that has become part of our collective consciousness!

Enjoy! ..Zoe

I got all choked up as I read this to my five year old. The outstanding folk art illustrations along with the universal message of peace and harmony are extremely powerful together.

A lovely picture book with a song of hope for world unity. A beautiful gift for people you love.

The second edition of Crystallography Made Crystal Clear contains many improvements over the first edition, especially regarding the introduction of new graphics technology available to everyone that can view this webpage on the internet. Rhodes especially explains how the PDB file works and how to view it to best suit the individual scientist's purpose.

It is important to note that the book is still far from "crystal clear"! The portion of the book dealing with the physics of x-ray diffraction is very mysterious--definately dig out the old college physics textbook and read about diffraction when you find yourself confused. Also, the mathematics presented in the middle chapters of the book are way beyond the level that biochemists must deal with on a regular basis. An understanding of multi-variable calculus is important for these chapters.

Overall, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in structural biology, with the exception of several chapters regarding the mathematics that can be skimmed over. And the webpage associated with the book is an excellent resource.

When it comes to this field of research, you get two types of references: (1) the 2-5 page quick intro that leaves you with the most basic overview of crystallography and (2) the 'hard core' books that go into such detail as to leave you breathless. This book is, in my opinion, the best transition book.

For non-crystallographers, this book will teach enough about crystallography to allow you to read crystal structure articles and understand what is meant by all of the used statistics and such.

For apprentice crystallographers, this is a wonderful intro into the field. Master the book, then move on to harder books to master it.

Highly recommended. I still go back to it, when I teach people, to help me explain in the way that Gale Rhodes does!

A readable overview, superb for getting a feel for how crystallography works and what the results mean. There is also an excellent section on judging the quality of an atomic coordinate file, such as a PDB file you may download. Prof. Rhodes is now completing a second edition.

This might be a good way to deal with a little kid's "dinosaur phase." It's a short collection of Ray Bradbury stories and poems, and this edition is illustrated with six different artists' work and Bradbury's foreword from the eighties.

"Besides a Dinosaur, Whatta Ya Wanna Be When You Grow Up?" features a young boy who wants to be a dinosaur when he grows up -- with bizarre results. "A Sound of Thunder" follows a time-travel safari that goes horribly wrong. The eerie "Fog Horn" calls a strange, ancient creature. "Tyrannosaurus Rex" is involved in filmmaking, and the two poems "Lo, the Dear Daft Dinosaurs!" and "What If I Said, The Dinosaur's Not Dead" add a note of whimsy to it.

As with all Bradbury story collections, this is a pretty unusual bunch of stories -- there's humor, there's horror (the second story in particular) and dwelling on children in the Midwest with that odd knack he seems to have. The writing is spare and hard-hitting, and the publisher, ibooks, adds to the entertainment with illustrations. The cover art is the best, very bright and colorful. Inside the text of the stories is often lined with smaller pictures and patterns; the illustrations can be weird and funny, or realistic and almost frightening. The only letdown was Moebius's rather childlike illustrations.

If you have a kid who's obsessed by dinosaurs, or ever were one yourself (fess up! Everyone does it!) then this will be a good collection of dinosaur stories to share. And even if you already have this book in another edition, you may want to get it just for the illustrations.

Ray Bradbury is one of the masters of science fiction. His stories were literate, imaginative, and have left a lasting mark on American culture. "Dinosaur Tales" is a collection of several of Bradbury's short stories and poems about dinosaurs with illustrations by Moebius. The stories and illustrations evoke a sense of wonder. It was nice to see dinosaurs drawn in a mythic way. This helped to give the stories a timeless feel. This is a collection of poems and stories about people and their themes remain as strong today as when they were originally written.

There was one story in particular in this book that had a profound effect on me. There have been a few stories that I have read in my life that even upon recollection have been so cool and groundbreaking in their execution or vision that they bring tears to my eyes. It's not that I'm sad or anything, but they're so amazing that my eyes water. The story in this book that did that was about a company that charged people to go back in time to hunt dinosaurs. Sounds simple, but the execution and the twist are just sweet. Another story like that was "The Star" in "The Super Hugos", which was a short story by Arthur C. Clarke. Check that out as well.

This is a physically beautiful volume, medium sized and easy to hold while you have your arm around another person. The illustrations are unique and creative and accented with gold which adds to the magical ambiance. The pages have colorful decorated borders and the interesting use of silhouettes is striking. The text is true to the original tales while being melodious, fresh and inviting. Don't miss the enchanting picture of Cinderella that goes with this text, "She heard a fluttering as if all the leaves were unfurling at once, and the birds of the tree flew down carrying a silver dress and slippers that glittered like stars." Now isn't that a little better than Bibbity Bobbity Boo?

The artwork initially caught my eye with this book. Jane Ray's enchanting combination of watercolor, ink, and collage drew me in completely. The design is reminiscent of a beloved scrapbook, and it is truly beautiful. Text blocks and illustrations are bordered with gold accents, creating the illusion that they have been "mounted" on their exquisitely designed backgrounds. The colors are rich and the images range from simple silhouettes to intricately detailed landscapes and portraits.

Ray adds to the book's charm with her multicultural representations of characters. In addition to traditional (Caucasian) depictions, readers encounter a Black "Beauty," a Chinese "Aladdin," a Moroccan sorcerer, a henna-tattooed Indian princess, and a variety of other diverse characters. While the stories all hail from Western Europe, the illustrations and character portrayals add an element of multiculturalism and diversity.

Although many of the story titles are familiar, they are by no means ordinary or generic. Berlie Doherty has traced them back to their roots in order to maintain the original "essence" of the classic tales she has chosen. In a generation where many fairy tale classics have been altered and homogenized by the entertainment industry, Doherty's return to the original versions is both refreshing and pleasantly nostalgic. Fairy tale novices and veterans alike will be enchanted and intrigued.

This book has quickly become a valued treasure in my collection for its unique appeal and beauty. The text is candid and honest, incorporating elements of humor, sadness, joy, and more while still maintaining the original "magic" of the tales. A great book for yourself or as a gift - I highly recommend it!

As a longtime lover of Fairy tales, I've gotten rather picky about which picture book versions I pick up. And I wanted to buy this book the first time I flicked through it.

This one includes a variety of stories, all well known, from the obvious choices, like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, to Aladdin, and the Wild Swans. The stories are told well, though without any newness - these are familiar, comfortable stories.

Ah, but it wasn't the tellings of the stories which had me sold on this book. Jane Ray's illustrations are utterly beautiful. Normally, I am a fan of neo-renaissance illustrations - almost realistic, almost three dimensional, and full of elegant landscapes (See Kinuko Craft's work) The illustrations in this book are flat, far more stylized - but they're full of movement and feeling, and they look like they came from the best of medieval manuscripts. The touches of metallic gold only add to this impression. The full colour full page illustrations are also complemented by silhouette illustrations and border images along many other pages. This is inspired art, lovely to look on, and perfectly matches the feeling of fairy tale stories.

I think this book was excellent.The way Francis Ray sets the book up is just beautiful.If you want to read a good love story that you can relate to just pick up this book you won't be sorry.

I have finally been blessed with receiving a copy of Francis Ray's out of print book, "Fallen Angel." I first read Ms. Ray's book, "The Bargain" and later Ms. Ray's books about the Taggart/Falcon saga, when I discovered she had also written "Fallen Angel." As an avid fan of Francis Ray's, it became a must to read.

Now, for the review of "Fallen Angel." I devoured this book in less than a day's time span. Reading it was a breeze. Brad Jamison was tall, dark, handsome, and Michelle Grant considered Brad her 'fallen angel.' Michelle fell under Brad's wings years earlier and although their meeting was brief at that time, the memory had a lasting effect for Michelle, who was in dire need of an angel at that time. To Michelle, it seemed as if Brad had truly fallen angelically from the sky and come to her aid.

Brad is a tough businessman, who had some difficult childhood experiences despite having wealthy parents. On the other hand, Michelle had worked herself from a teenager into a mature, sophisticated adult and a shrewed real estate agent, who also views herself as her brother's Nick's protector. Nick was an athlete with a promising future and career, until a freak motorcycle accident changed his life. Now Michelle feels obligated to Nick, a paraplegic, who had previously stood by and been there for Michelle. However, Michelle's, Brad's and Nick's futures are now intertwined when Michelle and Brad fall in love. Michelle, who wants to do something that would benefit Nick's life and career, could also have a devastating effect on Brad's life and on Michelle's and Brad's lives together. Ms. Ray has combined the story to where the readers will wonder if Michelle will make the right decision and if so, will it be a timely decision?

"Fallen Angel" is about love, trust, and commitment. It is a beautiful love story.

For an authors' first book, this book was excellent! The story line was great right along with all the characters. "Fallen Angel" is really a great product of a good authors' excellent work! To all of Ms. Ray's fans, I think Daniel Falcon has some competition as every women's dream man and he comes by the name of Brad Jamison! Much love to Ms. Ray, and keep up all your good work!