While the text essays in this book are a bit dry, the photographic reproductions are of top notch quality. Kenna's photographs are beautifully elusive, sometimes printed quite dark, yet remain salient throughout. I found myself wondering how the images looked on the contact sheets, straight, with no darkroom manipulations. This book serves as a great example of what you can do in the darkroom to bring out a more poignant image than you actually shot at the location. It should be required for anyone who works with black and white photography in the darkroom; not because you will gleen any certain tips or techiques but because you will study the final results and perhaps wonder how they were achieved.

As a photographer, this book will remain in my photo book collection and it is Kenna's strongest work to date.

I am very lucky indeed to have been able to see many of Michael Kenna's photographs at live exhibitions, both in Washington, D.C. and in New York City. Any art book is a "poor" substitution for the real thing, but there are some books that can give you true, beautiful examples of specific art works that then, hopefully, can someday be seen live. Kenna is a British photographer, in his 50's, who now lives in San Francisco....and seems to concentrate, in large part, on landscapes as his subjects. His images in this book are of the gardens created by Andre Le Notre, "the most important garden designer of the court of Louis XIV." In approximately 6o plates on 80 pages, we are taken to 10 different locations in France including the Tuileries in Paris and Versailles and Fontainebleau. The photographs are nothing short of breathtaking, obviously taken at dawn or dusk when the natural light is almost unreal. These images evoke mysterious, art movie settings---one almost expects a stranger to appear from one of the designed paths or pools or from behind one of the symmetrical trees or shrubs. All of it: the photographs, the accompanying essay, the way the book is put together with obvious care and love is magnificent magic.

A beautiful book that is full of some of Michael Kenna's finest images. Truely beautiful black and white printing. Michael Kenna is a master in his own time. Some of the fimest landscape I have ever seen. A must have for photography lovers!!

I love the short stories of Allen Steele and the stories in this collection were where I was first exposed to him. Steele writes hard SF in a voice that reminds me of Tom Clancy, Bob Seger songs, and Heinlein.

I think the other reviewer summarizes the essential points quite well. Simply buy the book. There is no filler material here, all the stories are absolutely amazing and thought-provoking. In fact if you enjoy this collection of short stories you should also get the other two collections: "Rude Astronauts" and "All American Alien Boy".

This is a thoughtful, spectacular collection of short stories and novelettes. Having never read Allen Steele before and not knowing what to expect, I am now waiting on pins and needles for his next collection or full-length novel or novellete. These are stories which are driven by technologies of the near or foreseeable future. Fission drives, fusion drives, trips to the outer planets of the solar system measured in terms of months and fractions of years, human colonization of familiar planets and moons, and commerce and an economy exacted over a range of A.U.'s instead of continents. No warp drives or adventures on strange, unknown planets around distant suns, or fantastic aliens threatening physical or sociological upheaval. The stories in this book, written over a period of time and placed in chronological order by the author, give depth and meaning to characters who, over the course of the 21st century, are the true explorers, adventurers, and inhabitants of humankind's expansion into the solar system.

All of the stories show a total range of the emotions which would accompany the human condition into a new frontier, and make the reader feel what it might be like to be one of the pioneers of "near-space" in the next century. Some of them, notably The Weight, The War Memorial, The Death of Captain Future, and Zwarte Piet's Tale, will dazzle the reader with not only an exacting detail of near-future technologies but also with descriptions which describe to the reader the beauty, grandeur, and at the same time, danger of a newly conquered solar system. Also, in these same stories, the detail of the human condition, those traditions, mores, and values which were brought from an incubator planet (Earth) to an exciting yet dangerous new frontier, are succinctly described.

My favorites have been Asimov, Andersen, Bova, Niven and Pournelle, Crichton, Aldiss, Benford, and Haldeman. I most certainly have to add the name of Allen Steele to this list.

The first 162 pages of this book are great. Steele could spin them off into a short textbook. The explanations of antibody diversity, gene rearrangement and hypermutation are really very good. The rest is a little hard to believe, and where the immune system is concerned doesn't even make sense. Adaptability and variability, not hard-coding, are key to the immune response, so it seems that what he proposes--that learned responses could be passed back into germ-line DNA--wouldn't even be benficial if it were to turn out to be true considering the rate at which most pathogens mutate. But, let the experts address that question. For an overview of antibody production, this is done well.

A book requiring remarckable courage in the orthodox scientific climate of today, given that Darwinian evolution is generally accepted and most views contrary are considered virtual heresy. The possibility of the passing on of acquired characteristics from a parent to an offspring was first proposed by Lamarck some 200 years ago. This new book suggests from experimental evidence gathered over decades that it is possible for immune functions to be passed from parent to offspring this prceeds via retroviruses being able to infect sex cells such as sperm and ovum. Certainly not an unreasonable possibility and given the strong evidence shown in the book not to be passed over lightly. Although the technical details of the biochemistry involved are at times heavy going the authors attempt to alleviate this through a useful glossary and explanations when necessary. Not easy to follow but worth the effort. The book certainly asks some major questions of accepted dogma.

Once again this book highlights that just when the accepted authorities are fixed and comfortable in their domain along comes something to surprise them and everyone, nature just can't stop being creative and interesting can it.

A book based on new scientific knowledge, not vague old ideas. The authors put forward precise statements and hypotheses about inheritance of acquired immunity. I find it very instructive for its vulgarization of molecular genetics and of the functioning of the immune system, which is not easy to find elsewhere. I also like its openness and its boldness, which will certainly be attractive for all inquisitive minds.

It a really good book, & the cover is beautifully decorated too. Good for young readers and can be addicted to it. All Wishbone fans out there must getit!!!!!

This book is a wonderful read for the younger children.It introduces them to the splender of mysteries whale letting them have a lot of fun. With the mystery of the world through Wishbones eyes you almost wish you could bring that out in every animal.

For Wishbone fans all over the world "Case of the Unsolved Case" is a good book.Especially if you like the other books or if you like the TV show!

Another good book on a Disney classic. Full of wonderfull drawings, sketches and animation concepts and background designs. I always buy the "Art of" books Disney puts out on each of their new films. It's always a treat to see how concepts of characters and backgrounds changed as they went along. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes not. Being an artist myself, I always enjoy seeing the drawings of the rough animation and characters studies. It's nice that they included some photos of the original source material from China in the front of the book. This again shows how far Disney's team goes to research a subject. The information and research shows up on the screen. And besides, the books pretty cheap, so you can't go wrong. My only complaint is that it could have been a slightly bigger book page wise.

I think this book's art is quite nice and that the text is gratifyingly bold, which I like.

This children's storybook is a shortened version of the movie, packed between two hard covers. The wonderful pictures are in full color and relive the movie's magic. A great addition to the disney classic storybook collection that every Mulan fan should have.

All in all, this book turned out to be okay. I couldn't really give it a much bigger rating than that because the topic was pretty boring to say the least. The only reason the book was good was because the author has talent and can make boring things seem at least interesting. I usually go for the more spectacular topics, but if you're looking for a relaxing read that doesn't make you think, try this.

This is a fun book, a realistic rather than romanticized story about the trials of growing up and working with horses. A good read for older horse-lovers.

i lovad this book it was very emotianal and exiting. i escpecially liked the horse in this book.

I read a lot of Sci-Fi and but only Allen M. Steele seems to make me lose sleep. Whenever I read one of his books, I can count on getting very little sleep that night - because his books are very hard to put down. This one is no exception. So when I finished this one about 2AM, I was thoroughly satisfied. The characters are so real and three-dimensional (albeit a bit vulgar - lots of obscenities). The concept of setting up a mining operation on the Moon is plausible. The idea of company officials (Skycorp) who only care about the bottom dollar and not about their employees is a long-held notion about big business. The plot has one major theme with a series of little adventures intertwined into it. This was one of Steele's earliest books and it definitely exhibited the roots of a writing style that was yet to come (and is now here for our enjoyment). It was occassionally amusing. I also loved the way the book was put together. Major chapters were broken up by transcribed audio-video interviews with the cast, articles from newspaper articles, etc. Oh and Steele, in true Hitchcockian style, threw his own name into the mix once or twice as a reporter interviewing some of the characters. Clever, clever. 4-stars because I personally don't need all of the four-letter words. Not that that will bother you. It shows an affirmative reality in the characters.

You always wonder about the books you find in the bargain basement. Well, this one turned out to be great. An interesting look at our future and the perils of working on the moon

I love this book. I couldn't put it down. The place, the time, the characters all come alive. Great hard SF.

I think that the book was sorta boring and definetly not great. I mean the theme is pretty good, but I've read books that were a lot better.

great book. it is really interesting. i've had this book since 5th grade and i haven't read it till now (10th grade) i'm sorry i didn't. it was great- duh george.

I read the book The Perilous Road by William O. Steele. If you like exciting books you should read this one. I really don't like to read but this book I really enjoyed reading. The story takes place during the Civil War. Chris Brabson hates the union troops for many reasons. He tries ro get them back for stealing their food through a variety of ways.

Sapphics and Uncertainties contains Tim Steele's first two collections of Poetry, "Sapphics against Anger and Other Poems" and "Uncertainties and Rest." It's a slim volume of intelligent poetry written in meter and form. This collection, much like the lates one "Color Wheel", shows why Steele is considered one of the best poets writing formal verse. Every line, every word is well thought out. Steele is one of the poets that should be on your shelf.

Timothy Steele, in terms of his command of meter and rhyme, wit and irony, powers of observation and restraint, is the finest of the New Formalist poets. My only complaint with his work is that I get a strong sense of deja vu when reading it -- sometimes I think I'm reading Richard Wilbur instead. (Of course, Richard Wilbur is hardly a bad model.) Steele writes almost entirely in meter and rhyme and is the most competent poet featured in the "Rebel Angels" anthology.

Outstanding effort by one of the best poets using rhyme and meter today. Comparing Mr.Steele to Gjertrud Schnackenberg,Dana Gioia,Robert Mezey,Greg Williamson,et al shows him in an extremely bright light and good company. The rhythm of his poetry moves and the impassioned messages are moving as well. Here is a sampling to whet the appetite:

'We enter life and thus inherit/The Kingdom of the human voice./ The Word is Word because we share it./Wonder encourages our choice/To sort out life's conflicting data,/To come to terms with its traumata,/To shape ourselves to nothing less/Than reasoned self-forgetfulness./For years we've traded rhyme and measure,/And if our poems are books today,/It is in hopes that others may/Take from them solace,sense,or pleasure,/ Though years pass with accustomed speed/And though the times we shared recede.'

Another favorite is about Luther at Wartburg,1521-22 (excerpt) 'Odd,how his genius courts expectancy,/And views life as a text it's read./Yet others,seeking God in all they see,/Not finding Him,will claim He's dead,/Or will descry false gods when history slips/Into a fraudulent Apocalypse.'

A great epigram that clinches the book for any reader/reviewer: 'Beethoven's 9th at the Hollywood Bowl': The chorus sings, musicians play,/ But on a stage so far away,/ It is as if we strain to hear/ The 1824 premiere.

Get your hands on anything by Mr. Steele, such as Color Wheel and his prose explanation of meter and verse 'All the Fun's In How You Say a Thing'. Enjoy!

This tape is well done. The sound effects create an atmosphere that draws in the listener. The actors are dramatic, but not overly so. The short stories themselves are well written, delivering edge-of-the-chair suspense (or knee-slapping comedy, as the case may be).

As most net surfers are aware the Sci-Fi Channel's web site has included a section devoted to science fiction radio drama...Seeing Ear Theatre. One aspect of which includes originally produced productions cerated especially for the site and which has featured performances by many well-known SF actors as Micheal O'Hare,Mark Hamill,Marina Sirtis,and others. With a few exceptions, a lot of the dramas are based on recent short stories by SF writers such as Terry Bisson, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gergory Benford. With the release of this audiobook editon(which includes introductions by SF's resident angry young{sic}man Harlan Ellison)now one can listen to these stories anytime you want. The best stories(IMO)are the Three Odd Comedies and The Death of Captain Future (which despite the pulpish-sounding title is a darkly humorous tale set in the future history of Steele's previous works such as Orbital Decay and Clarke County,Space). If you like audio drama-- especially newly produced audio drama...you'll love this collection and you may also want to check out Vol. 2 which should be on sale soon(I know I can't wait).

WOW what a story! Brian Smith could sell this as a short story by itself it is so good IMO. I just wish they sold a hard copy of these writings--not just audio! I have been reading Sci Fi for a long time. This guy is great! Reminds me of 2001, a space odyssey a bit. Worth the price just for this one folks! I noticed there are no other books by Brian Smith for sale on Amazon. What's up with that? He needs to write books, and Amazon needs to sell them--geez, do I make myself clear?