My introduction to the love poetry of Egypt came in a course on the Song of Songs (aka Song of Solomon) which used as a text Michael Fox's The Song of Songs and the Ancient Egyptian Love Songs. Ms. Fowler has translated these poems with philogical assistance from Fox. The result is a very readable translation - enjoyable on it's own. However, I found myself going back to Fox for the background to truly understand some of the poems - the cultural chasm and the passage of time eroded the meaning of the poems to me.

However, the translations are lightly footnoted with required information e.g. that Menqet is the goddess of beer or that a word is added for meter. While I prefer translations that stand on their own, this is a good choice for an introduction to a little known poetry that had significant impact on our culture indirectly via the Song of Songs

Having established himself as a poet with the acute and unique gift in description of animals of woodland England, Hughes went on to continue this in his second volume of poetry, 'Lupercal', a word resembling the ancient fertility festival. In this volume, Hughes not only shows us his anthropological academic background, as is evident in his poems preoccupied with the making of his personal mythology such as 'Lupercalia' and 'Crag Jack's Apostasy', but also his gentler lyricism e.g. 'To Paint A Water Lily', and his matter-of-fact, farmer-like bluntness, as in 'View of a Pig'. But it is in poems like 'Hawk Roosting' that could convince the reader that the poet may just have experienced what it is to be a hawk. Sometimes bleak, intense and always beautiful, this volume should be considered among his greatest work. But be warned: not for light-hearted reading!

This book is about Dud Noman. Never has there been a more appropriate name for a charachter. The book takes place in the early decades of this century and revolves around a completely pathetic soul that the reader will both relate to and sympathize with. It is the story of his struggle to survive and live and really causes the reader to reflect upon their own existence. The characters are all multi-faceted and complex, but that is one of my favorite things about Powys. Like all Powys novels this one is well worth the effort.

This Famous Artist book by Antony Mason serves as an introduction to the life and work of Claude Monet. These books are organized in a particular way for each two-page spread: On the left page there is an illustration of the artist's home or environment and the story of the artist's life, along with a painting and a small symbol used to indicate the size of the paintings relative to a person. On the right page there are more paintings (usually with a key section enlarged) with text about the artist's work at the time, along with a feature on the artist's technique (e.g., perspective, using color, painting water) with practical projects to try.

Of the several books look at the life and art of Monet this particular volume probably has the best balance between the two. However, if you are looking for a more detailed treatment of Monet's impressionist techniques you can check out the books by Mike Venezia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This book will certainly give you the basics and in the back you will find a brief history of art that puts the Impressionist movement in perspective and a list of museums and galleries at which you can see examples of Monet's work. Other titles in the Famous Artists series look at Cezanne, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso and Van Gogh.

All three stories have to do with the descendents of Rachael Dobbs and Jonathan Nightingale. In 1690 he betrayed her and said she was a witch, so she burned at the stake, but not before cursing his descendents. The three stories are about his descendents. The first guy is a werewolf, the second a vampire, and the third makes his dreams come to life. In the first two, by Forster and Rupprecht, Dobbs' descendents falls in love with the Nightengale descendent who's cursed, and in the third Dobbs' descendent falls in love with the cursed boy's father. I really like the first and second stories, but the third really didn't go into what was wrong with the boy. Rachel Dobbs' descendent was a witch in the third story, and she just came in and dispelled the evil energy. It was a good read, although actually not that scary.

This older book is very current in its many activities that provide the patterning activities that current brain research indicates are so important in early childhood

Thomas Hughes is professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, and has been the Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and the Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm). He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1985 he was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Medal of the Society for the History of Technology for Networks of Power. In addition to Networks of Power, he has also published Rescuing Prometheus (1998) and Elmer Sperry: Inventor and Engineer (1993). With Agatha Hughes he edited Lewis Mumford: Public Intellectual (1990). Dr. Hughes completed his graduate work in European history at the University of Virginia.

In Networks of Power: Electrification of Western Society, 1880-1930, Thomas Hughes outlines his seminal theory of "Complex Systems." Hughes argues that "the most impressive patterns imposed on the world by men impelled by the force of constructive instincts [are] systems, coherent structures comprised of interacting, interconnected components." Hughes thoroughly investigates the development of electrical supply systems; in doing so, he exposes the "ordering, integrating, coordinating, and systematizing nature of modern human societies." In exposing these social and cultural influences, Hughes nails shut the coffin that is technological determinism. Several elements are key to Hughes' theory. Hughes introduces "reverse salients," "technological style," and "momentum."

A reverse salient is a problem that defies solution, while other (possibly related) problems in the system advance; the reverse salient is more descriptive than its technological equivalent-bottleneck. The identification of reverse salients provides the key to understanding concurrent invention and how different inventors in separate countries came to very similar solutions of the identified problem. Once a problem is clearly identified and understood, it is little wonder that more than one person comes up with a solution to it nearly simultaneously, as exemplified by Swan's and Edison's invention of the light bulb.

Other key terms in Hughes methodology include technological style and momentum. Technological style is a function of transfer; adaptation to new environments culminates in a style particular to that environment. A good example of this is the numerous small power plants found in London as opposed to the few larger plants utilized in large German cities-the number and size of the generators was a reflection of the British style of local government and municipal control. Momentum is a function of the size of the systems Hughes explores, the number and influence of the contributors to the system, and the vested interest politicians, the economy, even society has in the system. However, Hughes does not believe even vast systems gain autonomy, as a determinist might: "They have a mass of technical and organizational components; they possess direction, or goals; and they display a rate of growth suggesting velocity."

Hughe's insightful exploration of the differences and similarities of electric expansion in the United States, Germany and England highlight not only the diverse development of the field, but also the different social influences brought to bear on each system. That each system developed along remarkably different lines, as evidence by the case studies of Chicago, Berlin and London, can and was attributed to the different political/legislative/geographical forces present at each location. The advancement of the technology itself becomes secondary and responsive to the conditions present in each country-well exemplified by the differences associated with building the Bayernwerk and the Walchensee hydroelectric plant versus California's experience with hydroelectric power and the formation of the Pacific Gas & Electric company.

Hughes' masterful treatise on the development of electrical power systems reaches out beyond the technology to explain the style of the various systems. In doing so, he demonstrates the technological systems were "not simply autonomous, or free of the influence of nontechnical factors." According to Hughes, "the style of each system was found to be based on entrepreneurial drive and decisions, economic principles, legislative constraints or supports, and geographical factors, both human and natural." He decisively demonstrates in his case study of London that it is not a foregone conclusion that the best technology will triumph. Repeatedly he shows the impact society had on the development of the electrical system.

My son was assigned to do a book report for school and chose "No Easy Out" by Dean Hughes. I wanted to help him with his report, so I read the book feeling that this would help me ask him the right questions later when he was writing his report.

I liked the book. Mr. Hughes has made it easy to imagine yourself as Adam the main character. The book's style of writing lets the reader feel empathetic to Adam's plight of puting his team the Scrappers above, his friend and cousin, who plays for another team. Stan, Adam's cousin, is having trouble with his hitting and has asked Adam for help with batting practice.

Aside from the main theme the book keeps the young readers attention with fast and exciting game action that works well with the message of the book, that helping your friends is Ok even if you are in competition with that friend. Being competitive when you play is part of the fun and being competitive with your friends is even more fun.

I am a confessed Sabre nut, and have had a love affair with the F-86 since I was a kid growing up in the '50s. I was pleasantly surprised at the detail in this book.

In the limited space available in 100 pages, WT relates the development of the day fighter versions of the airplane (The XP-86, F-86, A, E, F and H models. The interceptor versions are not covered) from its beginnings as a "jet powered P-51", a straight wing relative to the Navy's FJ-1, to the end of its service life with the Air Guard. WT does a terrific job of describing the evolution of the airplane, including an excellent review of the "6-3" wing conversion on the "F" model.

The book contains lotsa interesting details along with some neat "gee whiz" info, including pilot and maintenance manual drawings and photos that are interesting, but often not fully explained, and sometimes these diagrams leave as many questions as they provide explanations.

Disappointing in the Warbird Tech editions I have purchased is the paucity of color photos (in this edition, only four pages with 11 small pics, only two of which are USAF Korean war era airplanes)... and the choice of an off-white, coarse grained paper for the rest of the book, which causes the numerous b & w photos and drawings to die on the page. I think WT is grossly inferior to other publications in this area, and the paper choice is difficult to understand with [the] price tag.

The bottom line for this publication is that the information is very interesting and if you can get past the crummy paper selection and lack of color photos, you'll be pleased.

I liked the book Nutty can't miss by Dean Hughes because when William taught Nutty to never miss I thought to myself that I couldn't do that in a couple years of practice. He was working on a deep concentration technique, much like imaging, in which Nutty sees himself making every single shot and does that in real life.
I was also amazed because he got on TV and I won't be on TV probably until I'm older than fifteen. Every boy my age can relate to Nutty's acomplishment. When Nutty missed that long shot by like ten feet, it was probably very embarassing to him. I would have been embarassed too.
Last, I was surprised when William the assistant coach said "your hero days are over Nutty because I think I now understand the flaw in my whole system. It was all too clear there at the end". I thought he was going to be a huge NBA superstar but I don't know if he was or wasn't. Finally, that was one of the best books that I have ever read.