The history of how the concept of number has evolved over the centuries is an amazing example of necessity being the mother of invention. Each new advancement was in response to a need for new numbers to solve or extend the valid solutions of mathematical equations. Sometimes, as in the circumstances for negative integers, there was an immediate practical necessity. In other cases, the need was a theoretical one so that equations could be solved. What makes the evolution of numbers most interesting is that in each case, the additions defined a superset, and all of the operation rules used on the previous set still applied. This is a fact that is much under-appreciated, even among mathematicians. In this book, Niven steps through the development of the expanding supersets of numbers, starting at the positive integers and ending with the complex.
His explanations of the "new" sets of numbers are clear, and one can see the logical consistency that is interwoven into the definitions of all types of numbers. Problem sets are given at the end of the sections with solutions to many of the problems placed in an appendix. As an undergraduate, I worked through all of the required problems in my courses, but never really appreciated how clean and unencumbered the consistencies between sets of numbers are. It took many years of teaching before I really understood the intrinsic beauty of how all the numbers are defined. Had I read this book, I would have achieved this level of joy in the time it took me to read it. Which was about two and a half hours.

In this concise [only 140 pages] presentation of the number system, Professor Niven parallels its historical development from ancient origins in counting to twentieth-century theorems on transcendental numbers, always with clear explanations, and without belaboring the history. A glance at the book's Table of Contents serves to illustrate:

Ch.1 - Natural Numbers and Integers
Ch.2 - Rational Numbers
Ch.3 - Real Numbers
Ch.4 - Irrational Numbers
Ch.5 - Trigonometric and Logarithmic Numbers

Ch.6 - The Approximation of Irrationals by Rationals
Ch.7 - The Existence of Transcendental Numbers
Ap.A - Proof That There Are Infinitely Many Prime Numbers
Ap.B - Proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
Ap.C - Cantor's Proof of the Existence of Transcendentals
Ap.D - Trigonometric Numbers

Following the four appendices is the chapter, "Answers and Suggestions to Selected Problems", addressing the book's problem sets; and a very useful Index. Proofs are very clear, thorough, and understandable; the proofs and explanations gradually increase in complexity from the beginning chapters to the appendices, as the cover notes state:

> Most readers will find the early chapters well within
> their grasp, while ambitious readers will profit by
> the more advanced material to be found in later chapters.

This is an excellent guide to Jazz. It's a great reference to the history of recorded Jazz. They also discuss the sound quality of many of the cd issues, which is most helpful. The only real flaw is the omission of Glenn Miller as an important Jazz/Swing figure. Miller's arranged swing music is as important to the history of Jazz as any other band leader. Miller was not the first to arrange jazz music, and by no means the last to do so. Many of these other arrangers are reviewed in this book, but not Miller! Glenn's Army Air Force band could swing as hard as any other. This is a great book, but why they left out one of America's most important bandleaders is a mystery. Glenn deserves better.

Indispensible. Pithy, accurate descriptions of recorded jazz from New Orleans at the turn of the century to the most up to date improvisers. I love to browse this volume and have used it over and again in selecting my own music.

As a medical transcriptionist, there are many times when a doctor will say the name of a drug incorrectly or I cannot quite understand what the doctor is saying. In the Quick Look Drug Book, there is a section in the back of the book called the Indication/Therapeutic Category Index. In this section, you can look up the patient's diagnosis and it will list the medications used for that illness. Most of the time I am able to determine what drug the doctor is referring to by using this method. It has saved me a lot of time and effort over the years. I highly recommend this book if you are a medical transcriptionist.

Great book! Use it a lot, but would like to have the latest vesion..

Sam Price

This is a great way to read and understand Genetics at a more understandable level. Thanks
Chris

I knew almost nothing about genetics prior to reading this book. Now I can talk about things like genotypes and phenotypes with confidence. One of the best parts about this book is that the author takes the time to discuss the history and people behind this fascinating topic.

I recommend this book for anybody wanting to learn about genetics.

Mary Wilson's story is one of perserverance and inspiration. Born without arms, she never saw herself as handicapped, but as a "normal armless person." She's one amazing woman. I'm proud to say I've known her for over 20 years and consider her my "surrogate" mom.

While I knew much of her story from countless mornings at her kitchen counter, there were certain stories that she chose not to share over the coffee cups. This book filled in the details for me and made me even more aware of her triumph and spirit.

Morton's writing style is often choppy and mostly narrative. It would have been a stronger story with more quotes from the loved ones in Mary's life, or recollections from Mary herself. Even with that minor distraction, I really enjoyed reading the story of a woman who never gave up.

A Toehold on Life is the absorbing and remarkable life story Mary Wilson, a woman who triumphed over a series of personal and physical hardships. These hardships would have been hard for anyone to overcome, and Mary had the added disadvantage of having to do it without arms. The book follows Mary's life from a happy childhood in which her armlessness since birth is readily accepted by her loving family, siblings and playmates, through several difficult marriages that tested every ounce of her courage, self-sufficiency, and grit, and finally through two extremely happy marriages, which returned the kind of love and support she had given to others her entire life. The style of writing is well-suited to the kind of life lived by Mary -- honest, direct, and free from any sense of pity or maudlin sentimentality. Needless to say, Mary's life story is extremely inspirational in terms of showing what can be gained by having a positive attitude, ingenuity and courage -- courage in putting oneself "out there" in a "take me as I am" statement as Mary pursued her everyday activities as a Marimba-playing musician, salesperson, store owner, homemaker and mother, and childcare professional, to name a few. I recommend this book highly as an interesting read for anyone who is interested in learning about the variety of experiences possible in the the family of man, regardless of whether or not the subject is disabled or able-bodied.

In this book the author goes underground in a train tunnel in New York City where a bunch of homelesss people are living. She interviews and photographs them in an unobstrusive way that is very respectful of them and their situations. It's a pretty disgusting place with rats (dead & alive), garbage, excrement, and no fresh air. It is really amazing how people have built comfortable housing down there with electricity even! They get hot water dripping from the pipes to shower & wash clothes. I liked this book and thought about it for a few days afterwards. The book has a lot of photo's and you'll read it pretty quickly.

I stumbled across this book in my local library and could not put it down. It is said that we are all connected, that we are each others' mirrors. While looking at the photos in this book I realized that I was looking at a side of myself I had never lived. And yet it was a side I was familiar with...

Part of me was drawn to it, intoxicated by it, a deep, dark fantasy brought to light. Here are people living out the darkest fears of mankind, boldly and with conviction.

It is truly a remarkable book as no judgments are made; the photos speak volumes and any and all judgments are left up to the reader.

Yep it is all of the fun questions that we need answering. And Morton tries to explain how and why. The back cover has a prominent selection that explains the book better than the introduction.

The prewired brain:
Improving your memory:
Do we ever totally forget anything?
How logical are we? Not very. How much does it matter?
Do you "pigeonhole" other people, experiences, events? Is it bad to do so?
Where children's ideas come from:
Solving new problems:
Mind over computer:

There are several illustrations and tests. No breakthrough theories.

I was an Econ major until I read this book - I now have an undergraduate degree in cognitive science and a DPhil in neuropsychology. This book turned me on the fun stuff that is the science of the mind. It led me to Douglas Hofstadter, on to Oliver Sacks and a host of other authors and I was so influenced by it that I mentioned Morton Hunt in the dedication to my dissertation. Buy this book if you want to be captivated by what we are beginning to understand about how the mind works - how we think, remember and solve problems and engage in conversation.

I have read both books. I will say that both books are well written, in a sense that they are easy to understand. Marilu relays all of the information to you as if she is talking to you - no big words, no hard to understand philosophies. I found the information interesting and tried this way of life for about 3 weeks - no dairy, no meat, no sugar, no caffiene, no white flour....I went "all out". I have a feeling this way of life is nuch easier when you have someone shopping and/or cooking for you. I found it very difficult to shop and cook for one. (My husband thought I was nuts, therefore he would not take part in this new way of "looking at food".) Most of the foods were very expensive, and some would go bad before I could eat them, not to mention that many of them were impossible to find in the grocery store/health food store. What Marilu says about the foods we eat, the foods we don't really need to eat, and food combining makes a lot of sense, but applying it to real life was an obstacle for me. I will still pay close attention to my sugar and caffiene intake, and even white flour - but the rest of it? I don't forsee it working into my busy schedule...I think this way of life almost has to become a hobby, for it to work for you. It takes a great deal of dedication, energy and imagination to convert to this change. (I will say that after reading the chapters on milk and beef, I have no desire to consume these produts. YUCK!) I think it is great that it works for Marilu, (she looks terrific!) and some of her readers. I just don't think it is something we all can make work!

I admit it, I bought this book because I like Marilu Henner and saw her on tons of talk shows plugging away--I believe the American public has an obligation to support funny, perky, way-too-enthusiastic-about-everything celebs like her who have turned the once-lowly status of "talk-show-guest" into an art form. Plus, I was looking to change my diet and drop a few pounds, so I decided to give it a try (anything had to be better and easier to follow than _The Zone_). To my absolute surprise, it was not only entertaining reading, but it seemed to make sense. So I tried a few (not all--it will be a while before I can give up all sugar) of her suggestions--namely, ditching meat (not too hard) and dairy products (really hard--adios, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice cream. yogurt, etc.)--and suddenly I was losing weight. I had lost a few pounds before I read the book, but had hit some sort of plateau where it seemed impossible to drop any lower (even though I was exercising and watching my diet). For lack of a better phrase, it seems like Marilu's ideas sort of "jump-started" my metabolism again. I'm dropping weight gradually and safely, I always have the energy for daily exercise (even after work), it seems like a layer of fat has disappeared off my face, and my skin looks and feels pretty darn good. So if you're debating whether or not to get this book, I have to say go ahead and do it--it's not the most scientific tome in the world, but it seems to work, and I have to give it big credit just for that. Plus, rice milk--once you track it down in the nether regions of Kroger--isn't THAT bad, for heaven's sake (three words: smoothies, smoothies, and smoothies).

My 22-month old daughter and I went off dairy products 3 months ago because of what I read in this book. She had had chronic colds and many trips to the dr. due to complications. Not one trip since and only 2 short, small colds. I am simply estatic. The food combining has helped eliminate stomach pain I used to regularly suffer from. These are just two of many benefits! I've lost 8 lbs...I could go on and on. I am confused about where soy milk and cheese fit in when food combining...More info on recipes, too, Marilu!

= This was a good book!
Reviewer: Quinones from Peekskill, NY
This book took place in Palo Alto, California in Gordon High School. It started when Mr.Ross(the teacher) showed the class a
movie about the Holocaust. "Experiment of the wave", strengh through disciplne and strengh through community. "The Wave" is
the group that joined the experiment which took over a large number of students. The administrators of the school start to
observe the class with the experiment.
Two students opposed "The Wave" and one was threatened and the other one got beat up. Lauri also opposed "The Wave"
and wrote an article about it in the school newspaper "The Grapevine".
At the end of the book, "The Wave" was dissolved although it taught a great lesson, I think it did more bad than good.

This book was 3rd Person (Someone else is telling the story)
Lauri Saunders- Student, editor of school newspaper
Mr. Ross- History Teacher
David Collins- Lauri's boyfriend

READ THIS BOOK!!!

I'll start out by saying to adults out there that this is a book I would highly recommend...for your youngsters. First, it has characters that young adults like to read about--high schoolers, cheerleaders, football players, etc. Strasser also includes minor characters for break away from the action or for comic relief. I know my students enjoyed the characters, especially the girls who enjoyed the interaction between them and the fact that the progagonist is a female. Second, it deals with things that many young adults should know more about and/or have strong feelings about: the Holocaust and peer pressure. Discussing Nazi-ism with my class prior to reading the book caused them to ask many of the questions that the characters asked. The book helped them to understand the Holocaust better and lead to a discussion about peer pressure and the importance of setting your limits clearly before someone in high school pressures you into something (drugs, drinking, sex, stereotyping). Finally, it's a well written book. It has short chapters (everyone likes those), it's fast paced (because the book takes place over a week or so) and the main points are easilly understandable because the author has the characters repeat important information in different ways several times to make sure the young adult reader is not getting lost in sub-plots. In all, an excellent work that more parents or other adults should read with their children.

Can you imagine recreating a leader like Hitler and a group that followed him like the Nazis? Well, this book does. The Wave is based on a true occurance in Palo Alto, California in a High School History Class. This book is about a classroom experiment that goes too far. Mr. Ross is a High School teacher that teaches a group of students that form "The Wave". When most of the school gets caught up in "The Wave", two students realize it has gone too far. But can they stop it before it's too late? I thought The Wave was a very good book and really made you think if something like this would ever really happen again. I give The Wave 5 stars.

When I received this book, I was first pleasantly surprised to finally find someone who loved organization and LISTS as much as me! But to learn how to "organize" my eating habits and understand the trap of meat/sugar/dairy, not to mention the freedom of food-combining, this was just too good to be true. After only one week my energy level is limitless, I feel incredible and YES, HALLELUJAH I'VE LOST WEIGHT!

(One negative note Marilu - and as one fellow organizational freak to another, I'd happily volunteer to proof your next book - the typo's drove me nuts - as I am sure you can understand!)

Still, I'm looking forward to my remaining 3 weeks at ClubMarilu - I can honestly say this is a lifestyle change I've enjoyed implementing and have no intentions on turning back. Thanks!

I DID IT !, I AM ON DAY 30 OF THIS PROGRAM,AND I FEEL GREAT ! MARILU REALLY OPENED MY EYES TO A NEW WAY OF EATING. THIS IS NOT A DIET, AND THAT IS WHAT'S SO WONDERFUL ABOUT IT ! THIS PROGRAM HELPS YOU REALIZE THAT YOU CAN GET YOUR NUTRITION FROM FOODS OTHER THAN MEAT AND DAIRY ! WITH MARILU'S HELP I HAVE DISCOVERED FOODS THAT I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD EVER BE EATING LET ALONE ENJOY! I MUST SAY THAT SOME OF HER RECIPES ARE A BIT TOO TIME CONSUMING FOR SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T HAVE TOO MUCH TIME FOR COOKING .SOME OF THE INGREDIENTS ARE NOT EASY TO FIND AT YOUR LOCAL GROCERY STORE, AND HEALTH FOOD STORES ARE NOT ALWAYS IN EVERYONES NEIGHBORHOOD. ALSO, I NOTICED SOME CONTRADICTIONS IN THE RECIPIES THAT MIX HER FOOD COMBINING BELIEFS. YOU DON'T NEED TO FOLLOW EACH DAY EXACTLY TO WHAT SHE SAYS TO EAT, BUT IF YOU STICK TO THE GUIDELINES YOU WILL SEE A GREAT IMPROVEMENT AND FEEL INCREDIBLE ! I THINK MARILU DID A GOOD JOB WITH THIS BOOK. I WILL DEFINITELY STICK TO THIS HEALTHY NEW WAY OF LIFE !

Having always eaten healthy, but never quite ready to give up dairy, this is the book for you. As a novice cook, the recipes, particularly for fish, are great. The initial couple of weeks are tough, but the remainder is almost too much food. Food combing makes it easy to judge what to eat at a particular moment, you don't get caught up in the question-is it low fat, low carbo, low sugar, negativeness of diets. Even "cheating" a little I lost 7 lbs within 2 weeks. There is lots of time spent preparing veggies, but that's the point, right? Replacing your afternoon snack of chips with some green munchies. Plus its learning to love food again in its simplest form. Most recipes have few ingredients and are ready in 15 minutes. There is an adequate substitution list for the days you don't have time to prepare the more complicated recipes. The feel good motivational tips are excellent. Reminds me of the simple abundance kind of stuff. The typos and lack of index for the unusual ingredients is the only reason its not 5 star. Oh yea, my husband finally agreed to give up dairy and follow the book,too, and he now weighs what he did nearly 15 years ago.