This 5th Edition beats the Oxford Spanish Dictionary. It is more comprehensive and polished. Collins has gone in the right direction with an expansion of coverage of science, technology, and business terms. But, there is still tremendous room for improvement in a dictionary that is supposed to be unabridged.

I've compared all other unabridged Spanish/English dictionaries and found Harper Collins superior. It contains all of the following: extensive definitons; contextual references for each meaning; linguistic variations and examples between verbs for fine shades of meaning; excellent coverage of Spanish as found in North America, S. America, Central America; Language in Use section, unique among all, with copious examples; and excellent idiomatic coverage of real-life usage. Naturally, this dictionary is limited in some ways. One will not find "very slang" usage listed in general; nor will one find much coverage of very "regional" idioms. But this is normal; most dictionaries only list the most common idioms or phrases used. I am a fluent Spanish speaker and also possess an M.A. in Spanish and find this work to be the most complete on the market. Add to that the fact that this dictionary is updated every 2 years. Most are revised/expaned every 4-6. So...if you are looking for the best money can buy, ignore the others. This is the best in coverage and features that the market offers.

Harper-Collins has produced the best, most organized dictionary of the Spanish language out on the market. Excellent organization, classification, and regional distinctions (eg. where words are used among the various Spanish speaking nations of the world) has made Harper-Collins' dictionary series the best. Oxford, Larousse, and Penguin's dictionaries can't meet the organizational and thoughful research the Harper-Collins staff has done. This dictionary is worth every penny!

My mother is an audiologist, and in the early days of her career, she was an independent, and worked in various local nursing homes. Every once in a while, I was dragged along and left in the waiting room.

In one of these nursing homes, they had a single bookshelf filled with old out of print books, romance novels, mainly. I picked up a civil contract because I was attracted by the title. Not being able to finish it in the one visit, I hid it behind other books in the shelf, and the next time we went to that nursing home, it was finshed.

It was my first and eternal favorite Georgette Heyer novel. Don't you get tired of all those passionate, beautiful heroines? Can't you see yourself as a Jenny? I can. The novel gives me a certain hope, that there is a chance for us quiet shy bookish types. :)

And it makes me cry a little every time I read it. ^_^

We have all read Regencies in which the destitute hero marries for money and finds true love as well. "A Civil Contract" is not one of these stories.

Adam Deveril is one of Georgette Heyer's quiet gentlemen: handsome, honorable, and brave. He needs a great deal of bravery when his father dies. That death shatters Adam's life. He has a career in the army; he must sell out. He loves the fairy-tale beauty Julia and she loves him; a man in debt to his neck cannot afford a merely respectable portion, nor can the lover honorably ask her to join him in grinding poverty. He does what his honor insists that he do.

None of the things which he has lost could help him . He needs to marry money, in the form of the plump and plain daughter of a domineering and vulgar man--a very wealthy man, who is willing to take on Adam's debts to marry his daughter to a nobleman.

But Jenny loves Adam, and has loved him ever since she, as Julia's companion, watched the golden pair fall in love. Jenny can marry him and rescue him financially, which Julia can't; she can be the wife of the man she loves, knowing that he still loves Julia; she can fulfill her father's dreams for her. And she does.

Surely this must have happened in life. Not every merchant's daughter would turn out to be beautiful. Not every wealthy merchant would turn out to be a man of sensitivity and charm. Not every marriage made for money could turn out to be a marriage for love.

The novel begins with Adam, his problem, his terrible losses, his quietly heroic determination to do both the honorable thing and the sensible thing,no matter what his personal desires are. All he has to sell is himself and his title, and he sells them. It is important that we know all this, because only with this knowledge can we see how much this has cost him. Heyer wants us to admire this man, and we do.

Of course Jenny loves him, we feel. Who wouldn't? As we come to know Jenny, we see how different she is from both Adam and Julia. Jenny is plain, as they are not. She doesn't have good taste; she allows her father to overdress her plump form and bury her plain features in expensive and tasteless jewelry. These are only surface features; the real difference lies in her practicality. Adam has been harnessed into practicality, Julia will never be practical, but Jenny is naturally practical. She knows that her father's money will enable Adam to restore his estate and care for his family. She is willing to go into a marriage in which the loving is one-sided and unacknowledged, in order to make Adam's life better.

This is not a novel about "happy ever after." It may well bring on tears (or at least a little sniffle); it does for me. There are sad moments, but there are also happy ones and humorous ones. This may not be your favorite Heyer, but I think you will find some reality with your fairy tales will make a terrific novel.

Regncy Heyer at her best, (along with the very different, proto-feminist Grand Sophie, that is!) Not unusually for the times, the young aristocratic hero has inherited crushing debts and can only redeem these by sale of the ancestral lands. Or perhaps marriage to an heiress, again a not-unusual situation of the times. Reluctantly our hero takes the latter course, to the daughter of the immenseley rich and vulgar merchant Crawleigh. The daughter, though undoubtedly not aristocracy is not vulgar however, nor is our hero a complete unknown to her.... This is, I think, the only Heyer Regency novel with a married heroine, and a real heroine she is too! These books are for fun, but my goodness the research is good and the writing is compelling. This is not Mills & Boon, this is an author! And I am not ashamed as a feminist to love her stuff. Georgette Heyer, RIP, you have provided generations of us, feminist or not, with real pleasure

This book is one of the best additions to my bookshelf in a long time. It is humongous, but instead of tracing every important event in human history as so many of these types of books do, it traces the evolution of military and warfare, it records almost every single battle ever (a few are excluded for space reasons), it has pictures and all kinds of cross-referencing indexes at the back.

This book is divided into chapters for time periods, and the chapters are divided into sections that talk about different areas/nations. Each section starts with an overview of the people, their history, their tactics and strategies, and just generally adds some background. Then the authors give an extremely detailed and referenced timeline of military events.

Of course, in a work this size, there will be errors. In the introduction to this edition, the author acknowledges that, and apologizes. He notes that often there are inconsistencies from one history to the next, so while researching he had to pick which was most likely to use. Still, this is an extremely helpful, thorough, well-written and illustrated book that no one should be without.

And you can get some good excercise while reading it; it's somewhere around ten pounds.

Any understanding of history, especially anthropological history (i.e. the history of peoples) must have at its core a grasp of organized, mass violence. For it was the victors of those sometimes periodic, other times incessant, spasms of violence who told the story of the battles and who preserved the culture which spawned the combatants. The genesis, history, and culture of the Carthagenian Empire is obscure because the emergent Roman Empire completely immolated Carthage hundreds of years before the advent of Christ during the Punic Wars. The authors of this comprehensive, thoroughly engrossing chronology detail the story of the Punic Wars - and each and every other armed conflict from the dawn of history through to the 1990's. This reviewer is unaware of any other single-volume work which comes even close to this achievement.

The Encyclopedia of Military History is organized by chapters which cover each major era of military development. Each chapter contains an introductory section which outlines the broad development of weapons, military doctrine, and tactics during these eras. Particular emphasis is placed on the Greek and Roman systems and thereafter the military technologies and doctrines of the emergent european nation states and their colonies. After each chapter's broad introduction, the authors delve with intricate detail into the military campaigns of each era using a dual column per page format which packs dense amounts of information onto each page. Engrossing, if concise, histories of each war, campaign, and battle are organized chronologically and geographically (i.e. those fought in Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Americas, the Far East, Near East, Africa, etc.).

It is difficult to fault this book. To pack any more detail would reqire an unyieldy, multivolume work. Certain multicultural types might complain about flinty coverage of their favorite cultures (e.g. warring clans in Africa or the Far East) but the mere fact that this Encyclopedia covers such relatively minor conflicts at all is somewhat suprising.

Anyone with any interest in history will be absolutely enthralled with the combination of broad scholarship and detailed retelling of the world's military history found here.

My family has been using various versions of this book for 20+ years. It's a fantastic resource with incredible scope. I refer to it any time I want to brush up on some military history. The commentary about major battles are especially insightful. I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone interested in military history.

I can honestly say that Seven Choices saved my life.
I began to dip into it when my husband died but soon found that it was my constant companion, providing solace, comfort and hope and I read it slowly and meticulously
as I passed through the long and painful grief process.
In despair it gave me comfort; it allowed me to cry and to understand my strange and seemingly irrational needs.
It taught me that I was not alone. it gave me courage to work through the long months of agony. It was always there - a friend to guide and steer me to the world beyond grief.
Eight years on - I still read it from time to time. Over the years I have personally bought ove 20 copies and always have "library copies" in my home to send to friends in need.
I read all the bereavement books I could find - this one was and still is the only one that gave me the will to continue life without my husband.

After the sudden and unexpected death of my husband, I soon had collected a grief library. This is one book that has been the most helpful to me, and continues to provide insights and support as time goes on. The experiences of the author, of others, the poetry, the invitations to confront grief head-on - this book is an excellent companion, from the darkest times to the insightful times that come with the territory.

I am so happy I found this book. It was passed around to everyone in my grief support group.we only had 2 copies and at the time we tried to buy more we were told it was out of print.Everyone will be happy to hear they can buy there own copy now.I read every book I could get my hands on when my husband died.This book gave me the strength,hope & spirit to go on with my life

Ms. Fowler doesn't sugar coat the racism issue and the ugliness of it angered me. I say to live and let live. It's sad to think that such treatment of people still happens today. There is so much more to focus on than race. There are no answers found in her book but we can only hope that it will make people think before acting. Words can be more hurtful than physical abuse. With each book Earlene Fowler got better and better. I thought I might get tired of them by the time I read all 8 books. But that didn't happen. I've grown attached to Benni and will miss her antics...but not for long, Ms. Fowler is due to release, Steps to the Altar, in April 2002. I look forward to reading it. Though Mariner's Compass won the Agatha Award for Best Novel in 1999 I believe this last book, Arkansas Traveler, proved to be her best. I felt the emotions, the good and the bad, and the end brought tears to my eyes. Ms. Fowler, keep up the great work!

Earlene Fowler draws a perfect picture of a small town in Arkansas in her latest novel. Despite the beauty of the area and some of the people, there is a poison running deep in the community. Benni Harper, her friends and family, return to Sugartree, Arkansas, where Benni grew up. Benni's church is having a reunion and 100-year anniversary at the same time there is consideration of merging with a black church. Despite many communal activities and many people who are for it, there is much opposition. Benni's childhood friend, Amen, a young black woman, is running for mayor against a white male incumbant. Racial tensions run high when the male candidate's son taunts Amen's elderly aunt, and her nephew defends her. Hidden secrets of past and present loves come to the surface as Benni tries to uncover the perpetrator's identity while supporting her friend. This book touches on deeper topics than previous ones in the series and is very well-written.

Arkansas Traveler is a wonderful addition to the Benni Harper series. The author has branched out with a bold statement about racism and the heart of people. She twists in a murder while two churches are attempting to merge. The characters are wonderful. The reader gets a new understanding of Benni's best friend Elvia and Benni's husband Gabe. The rest of her family comes to life too. There is a delightful Southern charm to Arkansas Traveler. Growing up in the South made all of the references to food and stores a lot of fun! From Piggly Wiggly to the Waffle House- I was completely entertained. Yet again, I love how Earlene gives credit to the Lord in her novel. Once again, He has blessed her with the gift of writing!

Elsong is the sequel to Elfshadow, a book written by Elaine Cunningham and continues the stories of the Harpers, a secret society for good. In this novel, Ms. Cunningham brings several characters back. For example, we see Danilo Thann, a bard turned Harper, Elaith, an suspicious and cunning elf, Kehlben Arunsun, a powerful sorceror, and, very briefly, the quick-witted, sword swinging half-elf, Arilyn Moonblade. In the story, Danilo is chosen by his uncle, Khelben, to seek out the answer to what is changing the history, memory, and life for the people in the Forgotten Realms. Unfortunately, he finds himself paired with his rival, the elf Elaith. With the aid of dwarves and elves and harm caused by sorceresses, dragons, and harpies, Danilo and his small group of companions set out to save their people and stop the evil within the changes. A good read, but not as lively as Elshadow. However, its still pretty top-notch.

This book is just as good as Elfshadow because of the fact that Danilo Thann and Elaith Craulnober, two of the most well-made characters in novel history and two of the most unlikely pair, have to work together to recover a harp that is enspelling musicians of the Northlands, in a plot to rid the city Waterdeep of its Archmage, Khelbun Arunsun. Very well made. A good read.

Danillo must team up with his old enemy Elaith Craulnober the elf assasin.They both quest for the same artifact but each has different plans once they get it.The bards keep changing the lyrics to all the old songs of history but no one knows why. This book is the second of a great series by E. Cunningham.The characters are so well formed that you feel you're right there with them.The series spans 4 books ELFSHADOW,ELFSONG,SILVER SHADOWS,& The DREAM SPHERES.The characters grow & learn more about themselves as you do.This is one of the best series I have read,& I've never seen a story unfold & evolve better than this one..

Kenn Harper has managed to bring together an amazing story through detailed research. Minik, the Polar Eskimo child, was brought to the US by Robert Peary and essentially placed on display. The story of his disconnected life is full of pathos and sorrow. Yet Harper weaves the story with life.

Peary's behaviors were simply egotistic and reprehensible. He treated the Eskimos as his property. He placed their lives in harms' way by bringing them to a culture and location that assaulted their senses and immune systems. Minik was the price paid for that deed.

I did get bogged down in names from time to time, especially as Harper recounted the financial misdealings of Wallace, who had taken responsibility for Minik. But overall, the story is entertaining and enlightening. It speaks to the ethnocentrism of Peary's generation and to the isolation of the Polar Eskimos. It took me a long time to read and absorb this book but it was rewarding in the end... to see and feel a culture so far away.

Thank heavens someone found this book and had it reprinted for the rest of us to read! It would have been such a waste of a wonderful writer and an interesting story if others had not had an opportunity to enjoy this. As written in this book when reading history, Carl Sagan said we need to remember to put the people in context of the social norms of the society they lived in. However, kindness never goes in and out of fashion, and this was well illustrated by the people, both good and bad, whom Minik had the unfortunate luck to fall in with. I knew from what little I had seen of Peary, that he was like many men and explorers of that period...egotistical, vain, pompous, full of himself, and oblivious to others. I did not realize how far these traits of his affected others. The absolute gall of this man to place the lives of other human beings in danger, which he most certainly knew he would be doing if he brought the Polar Eskimos to New York, is beyond infuriating. It is with great patience that Harper writes this book. As you can see, I would hardly be so magnanimous. Peary does not deserve any accolades for anything he did. He totally deserves to be relagated to the dusty corners of museums to which Peary left the family of Minik!

Harper does a wonderful job of writing. I have rarely read a biography or history book that reads as easily as a novel, as this book does. Perhaps it is the topic that is so interesting, but the author does such a complete job of telling the story with little biased or prejudiced input. He lets Minik's own words speak for themselves about how he felt about the situation he had been placed in. The book is void of speculation or assumptions that are often made by those writing history or biographies...no Freudian or other psychological analyzation is done on any of the characters in this story, even if the reader is wondering what the heck these guys were thinking or even if they were thinking!

Harper tells the whole story of the people involved even if detrimental to their memories. I have to say that even though Minik's foster father had done some things considered wrong in the eyes of the world (he played fast and furious with museum and business interests), in the end he did as much as he could to help his foster son, and certainly did much more than Peary or the other scientific nincompoops did. Karen L. Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

As Kevin Spacey says in his foreword, "there is not a page in this book without its horrors and wonders." When I read a description of this book in a newspaper article - a six-year-old Eskimo boy who is brought to New York in 1897 by Robert Peary, then abandoned by Peary when the adults in the group become ill, and in effect set adrift when he is orphaned - I thought this tale in itself sounded interesting. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover the book to be far richer, with more interestng characters and unexpected twists and turns than I ever could have imagined. Though the book has many new and revealing things to say about famous figures from the goldn age of polar exploration and is the first major book I know to tell its story from the perspective of the indigenous Inuit, it is largely a fascinating period piece from turn-of-the-century New York City. The characters reveal themseles slowly, as in the best fiction; Mr. Harper has done a world class job of fleshing out the details, and his unadorned writing style allows the focus to remain on his characters and story, where it belongs. I couldn't put this book down, and still can't stop talking about it to friends.

From 1992-1995, I worked and lived in Moscow and traveled throughout the Former Soviet Union, to establish an office and business for a major US company. Oh, the memories this book brings back. All of them only too true. I used to write my family and friends about "what you don't hear on McNeil-Lehrer". Tim Harper's comment in his review section about the vodka-pouring driver and his car mirrored my own experience with my driver. Only he used a bottle of Turkmenistan cognac given to me as a gift while I was in Ashkhabad. However, the book also details quite well the dangers of doing business in Russia. I lost my first office to the mafia, was shot at during the '93 coup, and later put up with business offers of protection for a price. Anyone considering doing business in Russia, or who thinks Russia will ever change, should read this book and then think long and hard.

More than anything, this is the must read book for any Russian who deals with Americans, a new generation person who learns to live in the international business environment. The book, in my opinion, reads like an extended Harvard Business Case - concise, factual, and very informative. Besides learning the useful tips on living in Russia, dealing with Russians, you will get an insight into our Soviet culture. I think that the author did a really great job at understanding us, the former Soviets. What we now need to do is translate it into Russian and have it sold in Moscow - Moscovites will love it. :) Any other books coming out soon, Mr. Harper??

Mr. Harper's narration of Mr. Grajirena's attempt to successfully establish a Western style distribution network in Moscow is a pleasure to read. Many of us who have tried to do business in Russia can relate to Mr. Grajirena's experiences. The book does relate one man's experiences, but in doing so it provides us all with a picture of what it is like to explore opportunities on the new frontier. The book is well written and informative. I have read many books about Russia and Russian business and this was as informative as any and the most enjoyable to read. Anyone interested in working with Russia will benefit greatly from reading this book and anyone merely interested in contemporary life and business in Russia will enjoy reading this real-life account.

Mortal Pursuit is the sixth book written by Douglas Borton using the pseudonym Brian Harper. All of his books have been superb. Trish, haunted by demons in her own past, confronts a group of killers who leave her for dead in the trunk of her patrol car, after killing her partner. Her escape is harrowing as is her resolve to rescue the hostages, expecially their teenaged daughter, who is reminiscent of a friend from her childhood who met with tragedy in her young life. Check out all of Brian Harper's books. They are all winners which rank up there with Thomas Harris.

Exciting! Brian Harper writes the best \221thriller/murder\22books. Period. I\222ve read all of Brian Harper\222s books and I\222rate this one second only to the great book \221Shiver\222. \221Mortal Pursuit' is fast paced and exciting. When I read \221thriller\222 books, I expect excitement and heart-pounding action - this book has it and more ! Nobody creates quality excitement like Brian Harper. I read lot\222s of thriller books by many authors and I\222ve settled on Brian Harper as being my favorite because he excels in so many areas building tension, getting into the head of the killer, choosing the right words for describing what a person is feeling when the action is hot and heavy, and making every paragraph count. Many authors are able to get a few of these elements right and sometimes only for short spurts of time. Brian Harper maintains the quality throughout the book and I appreciate the effort. (who says nobody will notice ? ) I carefully critique the books that I read and for me to give it a positive review, it has to do well in all categories that make a solid novel : pace, building tension, plot, character depth, quality, well-constructed paragraphs and phrases, using the right word, style, use of point-of-view, etc. I\222m not easily fooled by lazy writers who use gimmicks. Brian Harper cares about his work and you can feel the high quality from page one until the end. Read this book if you want your heart to race and your palms to sweat. You\222ll love the main character - she has depth, believability, and you\222ll care about her to the end.

This is one of the best books I have ever read! Although the plot may not be suitable for younger teens (and below), this is an excellent book for the mature adult who enjoys a bit of suspense, action, comedy, romance, and mystery all tied in together! I really loved this book, and I think you should start the "pursuit" to buy it! Also, enjoy Brian Harper's other books, like 'Shudder' or 'Blind Pursuit'!

In this fifth book of the Earlene Fowler quilting series, the community of San Celina is getting ready for Heritage Days and Benni Harper, the curator of the local folk art museum is encouraging quilters, painters and photographers to complete their projects for the show. An exhibit of women artists who specialize in Western scenes is expected to be very popular with the visitors.

Benni and her husband Gabe are still working out the kinks in their new marriage and the surprise visit of a former brother-in-law causes dissention between them. Grandmother Dove is as feisty as ever and cousin Emory visits from Arkansas. At the annual Harper family barbecue, a young and talented photographer is found dead and Benni's concerned because the young woman had confided a serious problem to her.

There's always a lot going on in these stories and the author does a great job of keeping the reader interested in all of the different plots.

"I'm going to kill you, Benni Harper." Benni's gone and done it again.....gotten herself mixed up in a murder mystery. During the annual Day-after-Thanksgiving barbeque at Benni's childhood home, a body is discovered. It's up to Benni to figure out who among the 200+ relatives and friends is a murderer. This book is the fifth in a series written by Earlene Fowler. The writing is witty, crisp and realistic. Benni is every bit as feisty and sarcastic as in the first book FOOL'S PUZZLE. I highly recommend this series - although each book stands on its own, it's best to start from the beginning. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!

Once again, Earlene Fowler had me hooked right from the beginning in this fifth book in her series. For those of us who love Grandma Dove, this book is especially wonderful since she is featured a bit more -- and there's a new man in her life! As with the other books, I feel I know Benni and Gabe as I read. Great reading.