It is undoubtedly a valuable book for anyone interested in Japanese culture, mainly its easthetics, with a lot of brilliant observations on the culture in general. For people who are more familiar with this topic it may sometimes seem overwhelmed with information on beginner's level but on the other hand it is extremely interesting for people who are not experts on this field.

The Black Velvet Mystery

Who would you like to find out that someone cut a piece out of a black Vel mystery. vet coat? In the book Black Velvet Mystery is a good book to read because its not to easy and not to hard. The resson I got this book is because my friend said it was a good book. She was write I couldn't lay it down.
Nancy is very very smart she is very smart because she is detective. She was not asighned to be a detective but she likes to find out mysteries.
Nancy has a friend named Bess. Bess is a because she helps with the mysteries. Every time Nancy went out to try to find clues Bess helped. When they went up to Brenda Bess helped thats why she is a good friend.
The book is a mystery. The mystery is that they have to find out who cut the piece out of the black velvet coat.
The book makes me want to be a model. The resson it makes me want to be a model is because it has a model show in it.
I belive that Nancy is smart, Bess make a good friend , that the book is a mystery, and it makes me want to be a model. It would be a good book for you to read if you like to be a model and

I purchased this book once before, but it...kinda got away from me...I just got this book just a few days ago, and I could not be more pleased. I have been analyzing these games on my own for almost 3 years now.

I am a Master, and I used to make a living by (mostly) teaching chess on the Internet.

This is an excellent book by a publisher, (Everyman Chess); that has already made a reputation of producing top-class chess books.

So what do you get when you buy this book? A lot - in my opinion. You get a welcome and an introduction by Tony Blair himself. Then there is an interesting chapter on the Brain-Games network...You get a chapter on the trophy, the history of the World Championship. Then you get a chapter on the biographies of the {previous} World Champions, with a game from each one of them. (An unexpected treat, to be sure!) Then you get a complete chart and review of all the games that Kramnik and Kasparov have played prior to this match. (They had a tie score prior to this match.) Then you get a chapter on the match, each game is sufficiently analyzed. You also get a chapter on summary and the future of chess. There are also a few nice photo's in the middle of the book.

The analysis is excellent, albeit somewhat brief. (People who are familiar with Keene's method and style will know what I am talking about.) Most important game details are covered; although it is virtually impossible to cover every single possibility.
{I spent about three-and-a-half hours going over five of the games ... while using Fritz 8.0 to look for any errors. I found none.}

BUY THIS BOOK:
# 1.) If you want to study the games of a recent World Championship.
# 2.) You are looking for some serious study material of what happens when two VERY good players meet across the chessboard.
# 3.) If you want to know how Kasparov, still the World's # 1 player by rating, managed to lose the World Title. (to anyone)
# 4.) If you are wanting so study the games DEEPLY... and try to improve.

DON'T BUY THIS BOOK:
# 1.) If you are looking for an extremely detailed analysis of each game.
# 2.) If you think you can just play over a few of these games and learn how to play like Kasparov or Kramnik.
# 3.) You are a beginner and looking to get better.
(Get Silman's books, and maybe Reinfeld's, "The Complete Chess Player," instead.)

All in all... a darn good buy for the money I spent.

In The Eclogues of Calpurnius and Nemesianus, Keene provides both a text and comentary. The comentary is helpful not only for grammatical assistance, but also for cultural and historical references. Some especially difficult passages are translated, and obscure references are explained. An appendix devoted to the seventh, and most interesting, Eclogue will be of special interest to anyone interested in Neronian literature.

Bess signs up Nancy and George to be hostesses on a ship that docks in River Heights thats going to go to South America to help the sick, but weird things keep happening and Nancy finds herself in danger!

Here is a fine book on Japanese waka (31 syllable poetry) -- a collection of lectures and essays by Ooka Makoto (b. 1931) rather than a poetry collection, although a number of poems are included as examples.

Makoto's essays are very sensitive, works of art themselves, beautifully insightful and provocative. Especiially interesting is his fascination with and frequent return to the waka of Princess Shikishi (ca. 1150-1201), daughter of Emperor Goshirakawa. Shikishi spent more than ten years of her young life as a cloistered Shinto priestess, and like most Japanese poets was also strongly influenced by Buddhism. Shinto is the indigenous nature-based religion of Japan and the mystery of Shikishi's nature poetry derives from Shinto mysteries. As an example, the following verse by Shikishi is presented in several of Makoto's essays -- he declares it the very best of all waka in the Kokin Wakashu:

Bathed / in the light of / the moon at dawn / petals faintly fall / hidden among leaves.

As the author points out Shikishi here uses a zoom lens - - from the broad panorama of the dawn sky closing in to a very small area -- and yet the final picture, the last detail, is hidden after all. Shikishi's poetry reminds me of the ancient saying of Heraclitus -- physis philei krypsein -- "nature loves to hide!"

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For an English translation of Shikishi's complete poems see also: "String of Beads," translated and introduction by Hiroaki Sato (U. of Hawaii Press, 1993).

Americans have largely forgoten the United States war effort during World War I. There are obvious reasons for this -- the larger role played during World War II, the failure of the politicians to live up to the rhetoric of lasting peace, the limited combat exposure and comparatively low casualties suffered by US troops, etc. But World War I did more than prepare the US for World War II, it fundamentaly changed a whole generation of Americans (Stein called Hemingway and company the lost generation because of World WarI) and as Keane effectively argues changed the way the Army works and the nature of the social contract between citizens and the government. Along the way Keane discusses changes in Army procedures and, somewhat disapointingly, the precarious nature race relations during the war. This book exposes little that is relavatory to those who study American history, but by skillfully aranging the facts and details that are known or obvious Keane carefully builds an air tight case in support of her thesis: The soldiers who served during World War I paved the way not only for the GI Bill but for a wider acceptance of government aid to those in need. The modern concept of Entightlements began with the veterans of the "War To End All Wars."

Nancy is summoned by Lance Colson, handsome businessman to investigate the kidnapping of his nephew Hal. He's received a ransom note and believes that the gang of punk teenagers that Hal hangs out with at the mall are the kidnappers, trying to cash in on his inheritance. Nancy investigates and as part of her plan, gets George to go undercover as a punk in the group. Meanwhile, Nancy is faced with some tough happenings like someone trying to blow up lance's Maserati with her in it, Bess's crush on Lance and lance's psycho girlfriend's hatred for Nancy..Then the book takes some VERY interesting turns at the end and you will never guess what happens at the end and who eventually ends up behind bars..All in all, this book was not too cut and dry and nancy delivers some superb detective work as she always does..a must-read!!!

I liked this boo[k], it had alot of intresting things. I loved that game that herinteractive made based on this book. I think that if you like nancy drew books this is a really good one to read.

I liked this book, but it wasn't my favorite. Bess is so dumb for letting that good guy go to waste. I understand her reasoning, but still... I'm glad they got toghter!