This is an excellent book for anyone who is interested in orca whales. It has mass amounts of great information, it's easy to read, there are great photographs, and the ID catalogue of orcas is nothing but the best. This book is a must have for any whale-lover, researcher, or someone with just a general interest.

May I first say I have never encountered a better identification book then Killer Whales and Transients. Both books are written by THE wild orca authority in the Pacific Northwest. Catalouged pictures and organized information of each individual in every pod along the coast from WA to northern BC along with accurate info on feeding, behavioral and other habits of the pods in Puget Sound and British Columbia. Truly a great book, and as I plan on researching these animals in my adulthood, it has been a great boost to my knowledge on them.

I just returned from a kayaking trip in the Johnston Straight just East of North Vancouver Island known as the inside passage. We had first hand views of the Orcas. This book was used as a reference manual to identify some of the whales. It has wonderful reference pictures of the known pods (families) in the area. It goes into great detail on their eating habits, language, and family history. It also explains their social behavior, and the differences between the pods. It is a wonderful book full of pictures, and details.

Ann Ellis is the real deal! She's raw American...living, working, loving, and raising children in the gruelingly hard world of the mining towns of the Rocky Mountains, years before the amenities that we American women take for granted today...things like running water, ample heating, and doctors always available for very sick children.But Ann is tough and savvy, witty, and has a great sense of fun, even in the toughest of times. Her life is richly-laden with deep emotion.Her descriptive style is pure and simple, but takes us right to her heart. She never complains...only explains.You read the book with a great sense of admiration for these strong women who raised strong families,loved their men, had dreams and joyful aspirations, even in times when they were struggling to find their way in this sometimes brutal world of their husbands' lust for gold and silver.This lady was a true pioneer in every sense of the word. Her story should be shared with anyone who finds strength in true accounts of brave American men and women.

With ingenuous humility, Anne Ellis recounts the first phase of her difficult life as if it were a cakewalk. Several passages convey such emotional impact that I remember them months later. A great read for anyone wishing to understand how women really lived in mining towns of the American West around the turn of the century.

No matter what your own life experience has been you will find things in this great book that you identify with. This true life experience is from a woman who lived a heroic experience from penniless poverty to being elected to public office, rising above all her own expectations, A wonderful book full of comedy, tragedy, drama, supence, you won't be able to put this book down.

Walter Ellis' new novel is crafted within the world of blues singers of the 1930s. Ellis combines his vast knowledge of blues lyrics, styles, instruments, and singers with the legends of the times. He blends historical characters and events with a compelling tale of love, lust, and spiritualism. Readers will constantly anticipate the appearance of the Devil, as Ellis unwraps a complex story of the human soul.

I LOVED this book. I found the subject material unusually interesting, the writing style mesmerizing, and never put the book down until I finished it. It would be especially fascinating to anyone interested in jazz and blues (and ghost stories?)!!!

This novel is an exciting combination of adventure, romance and suspense. If you care about the Blues, this is a must.

The chicken and dumplings recipe alone is worth the price of this book!!! This is true Southern comfort food at its very best!!! If you happen to come across this book at its given price....DON'T THINK TWICE!!! BUY IT!!! It really is too bad that it is not out of print because it really is a wonderful book. You couldn't do anything but benefit from it's pages.

From Tennessee's premier milling company, this book combines the best of yesterday and today. Belinda Ellis Gibson has shown that in her first venture as a food stylist and author she has what it takes to allow the conumer to visualize and almost smell the biscuits baking.

This book is a must for any proud Southerner!

This is a collection of recipes from the famous Southern flour, White Lily. The tips and recipes are the most requested from generations of Southern bakers. These favorites have been updated so they are quick and easy to prepare.

The biscuit recipe is so much like my Grandmother's it takes me back to her kitchen, and fills me with memories of "home".

The black walnut cake is the easist I have ever baked, and has a wonderful flavor. Rich without being too sweet.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I have.

Perfect. No less. When it comes to graphic novels, this is all one could hope for. It is fascinating. Spider's harsh truth seeking, foul mouthed, character is a brilliant creation. In 'Year of the Bastard' Ellis begins -- in very subtle notes -- to reveal a softer side to this character. In his growing relationship with Vita Severn we begin to understand Spider more, and the fate of this relationship at the end of the novel is Spider's key motication for his actions until issue 60. The ideas, political machinations and wit of the book are all brilliant. Read and be amazed.

8 years ago, Spider saw the Beast come into power. After that, he went to his mountain. But he was called back, and in Lust for Life, wrapped his fingers around the pulse of the city. Now, it's election time again, and his editor has spoken. Spider will cover the election, since his readers demand it. Not a threat, but advice for someone who wants to make money for himself and Spider.

You might think that a comic book is for teenagers. Maybe even younger. Some might be. This is not one of them. Spider is a drug crazed maniac. But he's not the worst of the lot.

The politicians are. Heller, with his "America for Americans" catchphrase, and a Hitler lookalike in the crowd - in case you missed the point with the Gothic lettering of his name and having his rallies compared to Nuremberg, it's driven home is a rather unsubtle manner.

The Smiler is just plain deranged. It's not clear if politicians look like that before they've been prepared by their handlers, but the scary thing is I don't find it implausible.

Vita is an interesting character, a nice addition to the cast of maniacs that populate this world. The story line flows well, and demands several re-readings to see all the details that the first reading misses.

The artwork in this novel is simply at its best. Yelena is a character that Darick Robertson is meant to draw, and he does the things he does well, well here. No experimentation, no compromises.

This is easily the best of the series, and makes "The New Scum" all the more disappointing as a follow-up.

Absolute must read.

Ye gods, such an incredible combination...

*Transmetropolitan* is quite obviously Ellis' platform for ranting frantically about what he feels is wrong with the world (real, imagined, and otherwise).

For those of you who are Ellis fanatics, the story falls in the not-too-near future in the world that exists around the time that Lazarus Churchyard was busy being a terrorist.

"Year of the Bastard" is something of a homage to Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72."

In other words, this is DEFINITELY NOT a comic book for your average child or teen. Ellis makes no pretense in writing for an adult audience.

Mixed in with the off-color jokes and futuristic musings are meditations, of a sort, on what's wrong with the world - gerrymandering all the poor people into a single community with cheap housing, traitorous political tradeoffs that sell out all the principles that the platform supposedly stands on, and the futility of voting between two evils, to name a few. Can't happen? Try urban housing projects in 50's and 60's, Clinton's presidency, and the current presidential election (robotic liar who sold out to the Chinese and writes extremely bad environmental legislation vs. inexperienced governer with a bad pollution record and not a strong grasp on all the issues).

Too bad we're not all as outspoken as Spider Jerusalem, the beloved outlaw journalist who needs to be in the City he hates and to be hated himself to write well.

It's a great read, folks. I'd suggest you pick it up after watching a couple campaign adds and feeling your brain mush into gel from all the bull that you're being fed.

I'm going to end this with something beautiful:

A bald man with a spider tattooed on his forehead has just injected a stimulant into his tear duct. He is bleeding slightly from that eye and from the opposite nostril. His eyes are bugging out, he is sweating profusely, he has tobacco smoke exiting his orifices, and he has a death-head's grin playing on his features.

Why is this beautiful (btw, I'm not condoning drug use)? Because this is the picture of a man who is about to do something vital, something terribly necessary, something that shows that he is a passionate and dedicated person. He is ALIVE.

An image of Spider Jerusalem, ladies and gentlemen. Now buy the bloody book or I'll have to lob steaming moose entrails into the nearest crowded playground.

I liked this book - even though I knew "who done it" by page 158 (of the hardback). If I had been paying closer attention I would have suspected even sooner.

Even figuring it out, the book has plenty of twists and turns and is a great read. Just knowing who did it still leaves lots of room for excitement over how the story will come out.

To be fair to the author - he is fair to us. This isn't a Sherlock Holmes book where the characters know things we don't - all the clues and info are fairly placed in the story so you can see them if you want.

When some of Turow's and Grisham's recent works have been less than satisfying, this book (and "Line of Vision") are fresh air to the legal thriller genre.

Excellent well woven plot twists and suspense. A real page turner. David Ellis has jumped to the top of my list of favorite suspense authors.

Jon Soliday serves as legal counsel to state Senator Grant Tully, who is running for governor in which the polls indicate his employer trailing against Langdon Trotter. However, Jon uncovers that Trotter submitted an invalid petition that, if revealed, would force the front runner out of the contest. Shockingly Tully tells Jon to not go public with the information because he says he fears a public backlash. Instead he prefers Jon let lawyer Dale Garrison use the fake petition to blackmail Trotter into throwing the race.

Surprisingly, Jon receives an anonymous blackmail note that demands he pays $250,000 to keep quiet about "the secret that nobody knows". He wonders if someone knows about the incident in 1979 when he had sex with a woman who died not long afterward. Still Jon goes about his job and though he detests the deceitfulness, he meets with Garrison anyway. Not long after their discussion, someone kills Garrison leaving Jon as the prime suspect as the last known person to have seen the victim and he wondering about the link back to his previous worst nightmare from two decades ago.

LIFE SENTENCE is an exciting legal thriller that provides so many twists and turns that readers will read in one sitting. The story line enables the audience to observe the relativity of information based on a person's LINE OF VISION as reasonably intelligent individuals interpret facts to fit their need and theory of the crime. The key charcaters including Jon are developed enough to enhance the who-done-it as it is the interpretation not just the facts that will make David Ellis' second legal thriller a fan favorite.

Harriet Klausner

I first stumbled across this book when I was in the seventh grade and only 13 years old. It was around this time I started giving up my high school clique, junior high school girl books and decided to start reading black fiction. This was one of the first books I read and at the time it blew my mind. As a youngster, I was very much about "coloring within the lines." I only thought books were supposed to be written one way, but when I read Ellis's playful, inventive and mysterious prose it sent a shock through my system. Multiple points of view, words you have to read out loud to get the full affect of them, sexual humor ... all things foriegn to me at 13. Needless to say, after reading it I decided I was going to be an author. The book still has a powerful affect on my writing today as I truly enjoyed what I thought then was a unique and experimental style. I went on to read Ellis' "Home Repairs" but by then I'd grown disinterested in Ellis' style. While Platitudes was fresh, the same tricks used in "Home Repairs" seemed gimmicky and by then, I'd moved on to other forms of black fiction.

Now as an adult I see Platitudes is a good, but uneven book. But I give credit where credit is due. Ellis helped me develop my own style and that has to mean something.

one of the most creative and inventive black novels i've ever read. deals with a black male growing up in middle class harlem, who is also smart. trey also takes on feminists, the traditional slave narratives, pop culture, dating, the bourgeoise and anything else he can think of. definately not your average black novel. and i'm glad for that....

Great read. Mr. Ellis weaves a wonderful story about two black youths overcoming the greatest obstacle of their lives -- growing up in middle-class America.

This is a wonderful textbook for the practicing statistician, process engineer, or anyone who works with data on a regular basis. This book finds the right mix of statistical theory and practical applications of the statistical concepts to process troubleshooting. "Process Quality Control: Troubleshooting and Interpretation of Data" will be appropriate for a course taught to statistics majors as well as anyone in an engineering field, and it will also be a very valuable reference to anyone working in industry who is tasked with using data to make decisions about their processes.

The book is very thorough, covering everything from the basics of visualizing data (histograms, box plots, etc.) through basic DOE and SPC all the way to more sophisticated SPC concepts such as narrow-limit gauging, acceptance control charts, and cumulative sum charts. I cannot think of a topic in basic SPC that is not covered in this text. A great bonus is the CD that comes with the text that includes answers to all of the exercises and an add-in for Excel that performs Analysis of Means, making this great graphical tool for summarizing results of statistical analyses even more practical to use.

All in all, a very thorough text with many examples/case studies that would be useful to anyone in industry in charge of controlling and improving processes.

One of my prize possessions is this book, a copy of the original 1975 edition, signed by Professor Ott himself.

When I first got a job in Quality Assusrance, this was one of the books I consulted in my local college library. I soon found it was the best of the lot for its clear explanations, practical examples and sheer readability. When I came back into QA after working in another field, one of the first things I did was procure a copy of the book from a bookfinder - the 2nd hand copy I was delighted to discover also had Ott's signature!

It is great to see an updated edition is now on sale and that Ellis Ott's name is not forgotten, for he (as far as I can find out about him) is one of the unsung pioneers of Statistical Process Control. Ott is not longer with us, but the co-authors have sensibly decided to update a classic, rather than starting from scratch. The examples in the older book are as relevant today as they are then.

From what I can see, this book sticks to the philosophy of the earlier editions but has modernized its approach in some respects, especially in the notation of Experimental Design and in the use of Excel, which I also remommend as an easy-to-use PC tool. Highly recommended for practitioners of Statistical Process Control.

I recommend that this very well written text belong to every statistician who works in industry. Others such as mechanical, electrical, chemical, etc., engineers and scientists will also find this book to be a valuable reference. The book covers the breadth of useful statistical methods that industrial practitioners would likely encounter. Some topics such as implementing statistical process control, design of experiments with two or three factors, and troubleshooting with attributes and variables data are discussed extensively. Many real life examples from various industries are used throughout to illustrate the statistical concepts. All topics are well referenced enabling the reader to explore more thoroughly their areas of interest. The book also features a CD-ROM for the PC which contains datasets and solutions to practice exercises. An Excel add-in program is included for Analysis of Means [ANOM] of attributes and variables data the results of which are presented graphically.

The book is divided into three sections: Basics of Interpretation of Data, Statistical Process Control, and Troubleshooting and Process Improvement. The first section reviews many basic statistical concepts familiar to most statisticians. The second describes many facets of SPC some of which, such as Precontrol or Narrow-Limit Gauging in Process Control, the reader including myself may not be conversant, but will find useful in their own line of work. The last section describes what are probably underutilized but often very useful troubleshooting techniques. ANOM, for example, is a powerful way of analyzing data from industrial experiments with two or three factors resulting in graphics that can be used to clearly communicate conclusions to managers, to other engineers and scientists, and/or to operators on the shop floor.

I really enjoyed reading this book and am finding it to be a valuable reference to which I refer again and again.

Hank W. Altland Senior Project Engineer, Statistics Corning, Inc.

August 26, 2000

I looked forward to reading the last of the Stormwatch series as I knew it introduced the characters of Apollo and Midnighter - which it did, wonderfully. However, I could have done without the second episode. Stormwatch gets a glimpse of an alternate Earth and an Alternate Stormwatch but as far as I was concerned - so what? Our Stormwatch heroes didn't do anything, just watched the other guys get their butts kicked and brooded about it. And where was Jenny Sparks?? We don't even see her throughout this entire collection. For me, Jenny is the heart of Stormwatch (and the Authority of course) and it's just not the same without her. I recommend this collection for the completist but it's not nearly as entertaining as Change or Die or Relentless.

The fourth TPB for Warren Ellis' run on Stormwatch lays the ground work for Ellis' creation of The Authority. Clearly, the main draw of this book is the focus on future Authority members Apollo and Midnighter. However, the TPB is quality on its own standing.

The first story arc (A finer World) details the creation and introduction of Apollo and Midnighter. The first two issues deal primarily with the introduction of these two (complete with flashbacks to a failed Stormwatch mission, of which the two were part of a clear dig at DC's Justice League of America) and some characterization of the current Stormwatch team. The third issue features a whirlwind of action, and some screwing around with morals on the part of Ellis.

The second arc (Bleed) introduces the idea of multiple realities that would become a focal point for The Authority. It features an alternate Earth, complete with Alternate Stormwatch. Characters from all the Wildstorm titles make appearences, with the whole shinbag being led by Jack Hawksmore. Overall, the story is a fun ride, but there is not much continuation with the main series.

Which brings me to my only complaint. You can tell that Ellis is bored with Stormwatch- the most action the team has is one page where Hellstrike and Farenheit drop from the sky. Other than that minor quabble, however, this is a great volume. Hitch's art is dead on all the time, and as always, Ellis is a genius. I recomend this volume to anyone who is a fan of the Authority, Ellis, or comics in general.

Unlike so many comics writers, who seem to want to avoid stirring up a fuss by mentioning taboo subjects like politics, Ellis gleefully uses the stories in his STORMWATCH volumes to unload a truckload of mad ideas and anger-fuelled power trips upon his unsuspecting audience. That anger is what makes his work, in any genre, so compelling: he truly believes that we, as humans, are squandering our wonderful potential to be so much more than we currently are. The stories in STORMWATCH, especially in this volume and in its predecessor CHANGE OR DIE, all serve to hammer home this point with breezy humor and a refreshing bit of ultraviolence.

I enjoyed reading "An Unhallowed Grave" very much -- it made for riveting reading, and the plot of this novel was as strong as those of the first two books in the Wesley Peterson/Neil Watson mystery series.

Pauline Brent, a doctor's receptionist, is found hanging from a yew tree in the local graveyard. A preliminary examination reveals that she may have been strangled and then strung up onto the tree. Not too far from the crime scene, Neil Watson of the County Archaeological Unit has just uncovered the grave of a woman who was buried at the crossroads (an unhallowed grave) about 5 centuries ago. Local legend has it that the woman was publicly hanged from the very same tree that Pauline Brent was discovered in -- it was believed that she had committed a horrific murder. Could Pauline Brent's murder be linked to a 500 year old lynching? D.S. Peterson wonders as he considers the fact that Pauline's murderer must have known of the tree's reputation. This would then make Pauline's death some kind of execution. What wrong could Pauline have committed to merit such a theatrical end? Peterson must discover all he can about Pauline, but she soon proves to be an enigma -- a woman who was well liked but not fully excepted by the villagers because she was an 'incommer', she also seems to have very few friends and practically no history prior to her arrival at the village. It looks as if Pauline Brent was hiding from something, but what and why? In the meantime, Neil Watson tries to discover more about the young woman who was executed 500 years ago, and of the crime for which she was hanged. Tension mounts as both men home in on the backgrounds of the the two women and of the crimes that they allegedly committed.

This novel was truly well crafted: the manner in which Ellis switches seamlessly between the centuries, and the way in which the solution of one mystery points to the solution of the other -- that was brilliant. I was well and truly hooked by "An Unhallowed Grave" and recommend as riveting reading.

I love it when I pick up a book by a new author who I have not read before, and find that the author is capable in character and plot development. Ellis is a good writer at both of these particulars, not great, but definitely so good at what she does that her mysteries deserve a five star rating. For those readers who enjoy intelligent mysteries, her books will be a nice addition. Her Wesley Peterson, a black detective, seems to be an intelligent fellow with a different background in archaeology. This background comes of some use (and brings him in contact with hilarious 'tree-huggers' and friends from universities with agendas of their own) in a mystery involving two women separated by centuries who are hung for crimes they didn't commit. Nice to see we Americans are not the only ones who lynched first, and asked questions (or not!) later.

Ellis' characters are definitely characters. I love Wesley's boss, a lonely widower who is looking for friends. Part of the ability to draw realistic characters is the ability to observe real human beings and their reactions to normal life, which includes loved ones dying from cancer and the subsequent need of those left behind to find something to do with themselves besides work. If the reader can sympathize with the character, then the author has done a good job.

As always, I enjoy reading British writers and really enjoy reading mysteries with a historical bent. I had no idea about the existence of art called "Jesse Trees" which are an artistic rendering of the geneaology of Jesus. I am so intrigued by this I plan to look up some more information on these 'trees'...
Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh

Kate Ellis has developed an approach to mystery that parallels a historical event (in AN UNHALLOWED GRAVE the historical event is the lynch execution of a woman for murdering a child) and a current mystery (in this case the death by hanging of Pauline Brent). Sergeant Wesley Peterson, together with is boss, sex-starved Steve, and competent Rachel try to find motive for killing Pauline--a woman who fit into the background so well she shouldn't have been able to make any enemies.

As the mystery unfolds, Wesley discovers Pauline's secret. Now, rather than to few people with motive, there are too many. It turns out that relying on the historical parallels (being dug up by archeologist-buddy Neil) is key to solving the murder.

I enjoyed Ellis's earlier book THE ARMADA BOY but found AN UNHALLOWED GRAVE even better. Ellis writes well--definitely English but with little enough dialect that the novel is approachable by an American audience. Better yet, she doesn't write down to the reader, yet brings a thoughtful approach to both the mystery and the characters.

Somewhere between a cozy and gritty urban mystery, Ellis writes of bucolic but dangerous small-town England. Excellent.