With the literally thousands of different types and varieties of houseplants available on the market, it's no surprise that there are some that are missing from this book. However, most (all?) of the main ones are here, and so too is a wealth of information on how to grow them. I bought this book 10 or 15 years ago, and it helped me go from perennial plant killer (it was the killing that was perennial, not just perennials that were killed), to a reasonably green thumb. I'm not a super gardener or anything. I just like houseplants and needed some basic info on how to care for them. It's all here.

I just love this book. I can't imagine having houseplants without it. I have it all marked with the Post-it flags so I can find my plants quickly. I'm going to get a little wordy here, but this is a great book with a lot of great features. I use it more that any of the other plant books I own.

The book has 4 sections: Introduction, The Color Plates, Encyclopedia of Houseplants and Appendices. The introduction runs you through the basics. It gives you a botany lesson that is neither too detailed nor too short. It gives the basics of the book. It tells you how to care for your plants (from water to reviving to saying good-bye to repotting when your plants out grow their current container) and how to propagate and have MORE plants. The Introduction also has a Plant Chart that shows you all the things you need to have healthy happy plants in one convenient easy to read chart. The only catch to using the Plant Chart is knowing the scientific names of your plants.

Don't know the name of your plant (let ALONE the scientific name!)? No problem, just look at The Color Plates. These pictures are wonderful. I have identified MANY of my plants with these pictures. Sorted into sections by type (Hanging Plants, Small Foliage Plants, Orchids, Bromeliads & Flowers, Showy Foliage Plants, Lacy Leaves, and Succulent & Other, you are sure to be able to find your plant quickly. The pictures show something that you would see in someone's house. If the plant flowers they will show it with the flowers (just so you can see it). The scientific name, the common name, plant height, light, temperature, how easy the plant is to grow, and the Encyclopedia section page reference.

The Encyclopedia of Houseplants has a short biography of the plant, How to Grow and Species information. I wish this section was combined with the pictures, but since many plants have many species - one encyclopedia reference may have several pictures. This section gives good information on how to grow your plant. It tells you if you plant likes to have a lot or little sun, a lot or little water, when to water, what kind of soil to use, and when and what kind of fertilizer to use. It also gives you a description (average size, flowering potential, foliage coloration, etc.) of the most popular species and a small black and white drawing.

The Appendices include sections on Orchids, Decorating with Plants, Buying Plants, Pest and Problems, Glossary and Index. The Orchid section tells you all about orchids and how to get more information on them (I haven't read this part). The Decorating with Plants give you tips on where to place your plants, how to use your plants, and give you tips and ideas on using a group of plants together. The Buying Plants section tells you what to look for when you shop for your plants. Pest and Problems is a handy section that gives you a background on pest and plants diseases. It tells you how to control the problems and how to recognized signs of plant distress. It has a handy chart with black and white drawings. The chart tells you the pest/disease name, a description of the pest or disease, the damage the pest can do and how to control the pest or disease. This is a very handy section (hopefully you won't ever have to use it) and I suggest reading it. The Glossary is a handy list of terms used through out the book. Last but not least is the index of both common and scientific names of the plants.

An excellent & concise houseplant reference. It will show you what is commonly done wrong with plants and what you can to to promote growth/flowering. Also included is a cross reference for temperatures and other environmental variables that you may wish to choose plants for. There are also many good quality pictures that can help you immediately identify 'that plant you've killed over & over' and a reference to the instructions that can make the difference. Good book.

I was truly blessed at an early age to have this and Gymkhana in my room when I first began to ride. This is a marvelous and loving look at children and horseback riding. Any parent with a child, particularly a daughter, beginning Enlgish riding instruction ought to make every effort to find this book. Like my tattered copy, it will become an heirloom. PCK, NJ.

This is one of my favorite books from childhood. A tongue-in-cheek riding instruction manual, it is filled with cartoons about the antics of girls and their sometimes-naughty ponies. Add subtle British humor to the mix, and it's a must for girls in that "horsey" stage . . . my 10-year-old adores it!

Everything you ever experienced at a riding academy with a chuckle on every page. Or if you've never been to a riding academy, you'll want to after looking this over. Angie Lohman

For those individuals who want an in-depth, insightful, and solid understanding of fiber bundles this book must be read. In spite of its date of publication, it still is of considerable value in this regard. Modern treatments of fiber bundles are very formal and the underlying motivation gets swept away in the thirst for rigor. Fiber bundles are now ubiquitous in differential topology, algebraic topology, differential geometry, and algebraic geometry, and have also found a place in theoretical physics, thanks to the success of gauge field theories. Therefore a mastery of fiber bundles is essential for entering any of these fields. But fiber bundles are fascinating objects in and of themselves, and studying them for their own sake needs no apology.

The author does use some antiquated notation, but that is not really a hindrance to the study of the book. The reader will no doubt have some background in differential geometry and topology before attempting this book, so the appropriate translation to more modern notation should be straightforward. Once started, and with a little thought adjustment to the idiosyncracies of the author's writing style, the reader will find a plethora of neat examples and insights into the subject. In particular, part 3 on the cohomology theory of bundles is exceptionally valuable in that it gives the reader a detailed overview of the origin of what are not called Stiefel-Whitney classes. The theory of characteristic classes has of course advanced and matured extensively since this book first appeared, but all of the modern treatments are lacking in that they do not give the reader an appreciation of the fundamentals of the subject. Indeed, the construction of the obstruction to the construction of a cross-section to a bundle is the starting point for many of the ideas in obstruction theory that one finds in differential topology. And yes, the procedures the author uses can be "cleaned-up" and made more concise, but the price one pays in such an endeavor is the loss of an appreciation of the concepts behind the scene.

Since the book is a monograph, there are no exercises, and this is probably the only minus to the book. Also, some knowledge of the German language would be useful to a reader who has it, since the author makes references to papers written in German and much of the terminology in the book shows its roots in the German language. One good example of this is the Reidemeister theory of cohomology groups based on a bundle of coefficients, called Uberdeckung by Reidemeister.

There is no question as to why this book remains in print, and it will no doubt continue to be well into the 21st century. IT is a good example of the idea that something new may not be something better. After finishing it, the reader will be amply prepared to enter into the continually-evolving theory of fiber bundles and their applications, all of which are interesting and important.

This book supplies a lot of intuition and background that more modern texts seem to assume of the reader. Steenrod's writing is meticulous and extremely clear. My opinion is that one can learn just as much out of this seemingly outdated text and probably even more than from the modern texts.

... True, more slick machinery has been developed since Steenrod's time, but those big machines are hardly transparent. Steenrod assumes very little of the reader; he even has a quick course in homotopy groups, although he assumes the reader knows the basics of homology/cohomology. Perhaps most importantly, since many of the ideas in the book were new at the time, he doesn't assume that the reader is already comfortable with those ideas. All together this makes a very accessible book indeed.

A nostalgic but still attractive book on (homotoy theory of) fiber bundles. This book is not very accessible as it predates the development of modern machinery of algebraic topology, but is worth reading.

My 18-month-old twins love this book. We had been having problems getting them to take a bath when we decided to pick up a few books that might help them get over their fear. Sure enough, this book did the trick. Now, whenever we get ready for bathtime, one of the kids will bring me this book to read to them while the other one looks for their rubber ducky for the bath. It's a great book and perfect for little hands.

This is a wonderful book for babies. It's something my nine month old can really relate to. Like the other reviewer, he loves the rubber duckie page and kicks in delight when we get there. It's just the right length too. It keeps his attention and has simple words and clear pictures. He wants me to read it over and over! This is THE best book we have so far!

I am one year old and Tubby Time for Little Ernie is my very favorite book. I don't know why. I just want my mommy and daddy to read it again and again all day long. I love the colorful, fun pictures and simple words. I even try to say the words along with Mommy and Daddy. I especially love it when they sing the Rubber Duckie song on that special page. My book is so worn out that I have to get another one.

I will disagree with others that say this is not for the novice. I will agree that it is not for the casual reader but an interested novice would do well to start with this book. Although very detailed it is very well written and the illustrations are superb. While not cheap this book is an excellent value. This is not an Operational History and does not cover the employment of these ships in naval operations. It does cover the design evolution and the modernizations and changes that were performed to them as well as some that were just considered. The coverage of alternative designs and the tradeoffs that went into each iteration of the American Battleship is superb.

This is a great book for those who are interested in the technical information about the US Navy battleships. In great detail the book covers the evolution of the battleships from the early monitors of the post Civil War period to the cancelled Montana Class during WWII. Although a bit outdated since it was printed during the period when the Iowa Class was being reactivated, the seventeen chapters greatly explain each class of battleships as well as differences among the sister ships. Technical information regarding design, design proposals, dimensions, types of guns/calibers, machinery, armor, internal hull arraignment, etc. are included. This book is not for the novice, but for those naval historian/architectures or those who simply enjoy reading/studying the technical aspects of the book is a must have.

The only reason I did not give this book a 10 rating is that its publication pre-dates the inactivation of the IOWA Class Battleships. A later revision to include all the modernizations of the 1980's will boost this book up that last notch. Norman Friedman is generally considered the last word in technical publications. The only work of his that I have read that dealt a little more with the human aspect was his excellent treatise on Desert Storm. But we're talking Battleships here. About the only technical detail the author left out was precisely how many rivets were driven in each ship. But then, only an ex-riveter like me would really want to know that. If you want to know what kind of bureacratic requirements were involved along with the technical requirements and the state-of-the-art capabilities at the times of conception, design and construction of U.S. Battleships, then this is the book for you. No serious student of Naval Architecture or Naval history should be without this book on their shelf within easy reach. Richard A. Landgraff DREADNAUGHT CONSULTING

If this is not the definitive book, it must come pretty close. As one of the most respected naval analyst, the author covers the birth and development of submersible ships and submarines with minute details from their inceptions to the II WW latest types.

The text is extraordinarily well researched, reflecting its scholar-like approach to the subject; nevertheless it is an easy and relaxing read, expecially if you take into account the deep level of accuracy and precise reconstruction of historical events. Specific aspects of submarine technology are carefully dissected: the naval yard organization, the US Navy Bureaus capacity and their (obviously) rivalry in design competence, the development of powerplants and hulls. A particular attention is dedicated to submarine perfomances evolution, how they were estimated conducting tradeoff studies and inspecting foreign submarines and equipment. In a well orchestrated narration, the book provides a detailed insight into technical and political machinations of subs building programs, explaining the different (to tell the truth I should say conflicting) opinions of political leadership, Staff strategic conceptions for the Arm, service Bureaus technical management and , last but not the least, the real requisites of Commanding Officers, the ultimate users ( and the one that took the risks in combat). A true gem in the volume is the data provided in appendices.They cover mainly submarine propulsion and periscope development: since they are vital technologies, shaping the sub operative capability and seagoing perfomance, full studies are presented giving a clear picture of design and manifacturing practices as demanded by the Navy. Weapons, fire control, sonars, tactics, instruments and systems innovations are also covered. For each of them, the author delivers a clarifying view of "how" scientist and builders achieved leaping technological solutions to enhance fighting capabilities. This authoritative content is supported by a fascinating collection of photographs, complemented by extensive use of cross sections, inboard profiles plus drawings and sketches of abortive designs.

There is no doubt at all, this beatiful hardcover volume will adorn your bookcase, barely withstanding the heavy use it will unquestionably get as a reference source.

Quite simply THE authoritative work on post-World War Two American submarines and the design and tactics philosophies that went into creating them. The photographs were well-chosen and the line drawings are some of the best I've seen of U.S. subs.

This is an excellent book for the serious student of submarine history. It is perhaps the most authoritative reference book on the subject of post WWII submarines. Not only is it detailed and fully illustrated, it contains excellent tables comparing performance, size, etc. of various American submarine classes. One of its most valuable features is its descriptions of the performance characteristics of each generation of submarine and descriptions of how the designers of each successive generation attempted to improve performance. It explores, in depth, the characteristics of various generations of submarine devices, most notably sonar. It is fully footnoted and the footnotes often contain remarkable bits of info.

I remembered having this book in High School. Even then I recognized it's value in helping to build a large vocabulary. None of the other vocbulary books even come close. Words are grouped by type, such as words related to "sobriety". Words are also split into groups with either Latin or Greek roots. No other book does this.
I have searched in vain for a resource to buy this book for my own children until finally ordering it from Amazon. Buy this book for your High School student BEFORE he or she takes the SAT. Thanks Amazon.com for being such a great source of hard-to-find books!

As a student studying this book, the advanced vocabulary within it contains valuable information in order to succeed on achievement tests, essays, and even daily spoken language. I proudly say that this book has changed how I think, read, and feel these words. The format of this book is very laudable (I got that from the book!). Hopefully others will increase there vocabulary for the sake of knowledge and understading.

In searching for a vocabulary workbook to help my son studying for SSAT test, I stumbled into a very old edition of this book at a second-handed book store. I immediately recognized the value of this book. As you can see, English is not my mother tongue language, so studying English for me is a science. I like the way the book builds up blocks of knowledge and goes up from there. I studied it along with my son for six weeks, his SSAT test score jumped from 20 to 70 percentile. We still have a way to go, but I am happy that I found the right tool for our goal. I am looking forward to have my son taking SAT test. I know he will do well, and my English will improve at the same time. Double pleasure! Thank you Mr. Levine.

This is a beautiful book. It is reminiscent of the images and style of children's books published at the time when Disney originally released SLEEPING BEAUTY. This is a real tribute and a cherished edition to have from one of Disney's best and often overlooked fairy tale classics. It has a real place in my heart.

This is a beautiful book. With Amazon not carrying a picture of it, I was a little afraid to order it, fearing what I might get. I am so pleased with it. The illustrations are very stylized, very 1950's era. The colors are brilliant, even to the endpaper. I love the angles of the characters' faces and shoulders. To get a general idea what the book looks like, check out "Walt Disney's Classic Storybook" and imagine a ten times more beautiful version. Enjoy!

This book is a real treasure. Based on Walt Disney's widescreen animated fairytale epic "Sleeping Beauty," this is a nostalgic exact reprint of the storybook created for the film in 1959. It is illustrated with original artwork created especially for storybooks. It is a shame that more people have not discovered this wonderful book. It's one of those books that you can read to your children at bedtime and they can be captivated by the illustrations. It is one of those books that you keep in your bookcase after the children have gown up and you can pull it out from time to time and just reminisce.

This excellent book is for anybody and everybody. It is a winner itself and is sure to be a favorite with you. It is an exciting and positive manual for victory, and its foundational truths will fill you with faith and power for living.

I found this book to be very unique. Unlike many books I've read by Christian authors, this book is an incredible encouragement to both Christian and non-Christian alike. It should cause both groups to get a better picture of the character and nature of God as well as what we've been created to be. It is scripturally based from beginning to end and yet will cause many Christians to question some of the unscriptural things they've heard out of the pulpit for years. I gave a copy to my sister and one to her son. Both were moved to joyful tears. They felt like the lights had just been turned on. It's changed their thinking and brought them to a level of joy and peace they've never known before.

The book uses concrete examples of ordinary people doing extraordinary things by realizing who they really are, and what incredible resources God has placed within us or within our grasp After you read it I wouldn't be surprised if you don't want to buy several copies to pass out to your friends!

This is the kind of book that should find it's way into any home. All of us want those who are nearest and dearest to us to be winners even if we don't admit we would like to as well. This is the book that can guide you into it. Not just positive thinking but good solid Bible and good solid sence. Buy it. Brian

A fun and gripping story about global politics and the "war between the sexes," 'A World Between' does an excellent job of showing how fanaticism can warp perception and thus alter reality. When the peaceful world of Pacifica is subjected to 'missions' from the rabid Femocrats of Earth and the male-dominated Transcendental Scientists, both intent upon converting Pacifica to their own viewpoints, it's a real challenge to the citizens and the government. Public opinion is moulded through the media, and Pacifica prides itself on being the most media-savvy and sophisticated world in the human Galaxy. Only now the Pacificans' own 'First Amendment' type laws are being used against them..

Frequently graphic, occasionally disturbing, and always enjoyable.

Warning: This book contains some explicit passages that are definitely adult in nature. Despite my immense liking for it, I have to rate this title 'R' because of the language and sexual explicitness.

The male/female war is fun, but the Technocrat/Femocrat war is even better.

The Technocrat/Femocrat war is the best SF description of the USA/USSR ideological cold war, as seen from the perspective of "neutral" Pacificans aka Europeans.

But I'm not sure that Spinrad intended this comparison!

Anyway, the book's great fun!

There are three main themes in this book: Tension between the sexes, Media Influence, and Politicking. These three are melded into a fun and readable novel that keeps you turning pages. While some the characters would be considered slightly stereotypical today if you read this book in the context of its copyright date 1979 I think it was doing all right. Some of the issues it brings up, pertaining to tension between the sexes, still remain. It is interesting to contrast the issues the book deals with to what we is happening, or not happening in this area today. The media twisting that goes on was fun and effective, I got the impression that a debate with Norman Spinrad would be fun to watch as well as hard on his opponent. The policing in the book is the weakest written of the three themes but still enjoyable to read and twisty enough to keep your attention.