The Glory of Goodwood is a fabulous and essential book for any enthusiast of historic auto racing. This book, with its beautiful photographs, puts us in the paddock and onto the track with some of the greatest drivers and cars in the history of the sport. The book celebrates the beauty and art of auto racing, as well as its thrills and dangers. The images are rich and plentiful, but this is not simply a picture book. The essay (forwarded by Sterling Moss and The Earl of March) details 50 years of British auto racing at the Goodwood track and one man's fascination that evolved into a yearly cultural tradition dedicated to speed, the drivers, and their cars.

The Glory of Their Times is a great Baseball book. The revised edition adds four player interviews to the originals. It covers those who played from the early 1900's such as Sam Crawford (who played with Ty Cobb) to the 1940's with Hank Greenberg (who played against Jackie Robinson). Player memories allow us to "see" again famous plays such as the 1912 'muff' of a fly ball by Giants' outfielder Fred Snodgrass which cost his team the World Series. Such 'word pictures' along with vintage photographs make this poignant and memorable book one you will treasure and want to read again and again

Having had the privilege of studying the course behind this publication first-hand at Exeter, I would recommend the book to any student who seeks a thorough and well-rounded survey of the contemporary debate between science and religion.

Or is it a debate? The authors posit several models of dialogue between these two - usually separated - spheres, and this forms a core feature of this textbook: the opportunity to explore ways in which the two complement and enrich one another.

Therefore as well as being competently yet simply introduced to complex scientific questions (the Big Bang, the origin of life, quantum theory - to name a few), the author allows scope for the reader to see - for himself, and through the eyes of great thinkers, more and less famous - how it is possible to construct a working hypothesis of the inter-relation between God, humanity and the cosmos.

In the later chapters, which are a particularly unique and enjoyable section, we are introduced to the scientifically-influenced theologies of Jay McDaniel's "pelican heaven", Sallie McFague's "embodied God" and Ruth Page's "Web of Life". The reader can enjoy these models, whilst exercising a critical eye, sensitive to the scientific perceptions and phenomena so effectively outlined towards the beginning of the book.

On top of this, other views are outlined, including a section on Islamic theology and creation.

This is a great book for students and all those interested in understanding more of the world about them. It is refreshing to find a theology book which is so world-affirming, without resorting to religious dogmatism: not just a dry textbook, but a competent handbook AND a "choose you own adventure!"

Sara Lightfoot is an incredible author that writes with style, candor and vividness that allows one to experience the context as though he/she is actually involved rather than examining the process vicariously. The author recognizes that it is important for readers to be able to place these high schools in context, visualize the terrain, the community and the people. Lightfoot has done this by working through the inside out, much like an artist painting a portrait capturing the essence of truth with a myriad of dimensions. Lightfoot offers a penetrable look inside high schools whhile exploring the inherent goodness of schools. She provides a description of "goodness" as not being static nor an absolute quality that can be measured as a single indicator of success of effectiveness but a mixture of parts that produce the whole. This mixture encompasses less tangible, more elusive qualities that can only be discerned through close, vivid description, through subtle nuances, and thhrough detailed narratives that reveal the sustaining values of an institution. A quality that is evident of Lightfoot throughout the text is that she looks for the"good" in all six schools,even though they are not equal. All too often, rersearchers get caught up in identifying a cause or over-emphasining the negeative aspects while allowing the "good" qualities to go unnoticed. Lightfoot goes the extra mile is this respect by bringing forth the good in each school. It is through work such as this that researchers can learn many transferable lessons that can be utilized in a wide array of research studies. With this in mind, I give Sara Lightfoot's book, The Good High School, a five star rating.

This is a book concerning with optimal control. The book starts with the basics of functional analysis, and goes on to the discussion of some linear minimization problem where conjugate gradient method is used as a primary technique. Then it is extented to nonlnear problems for which scaled conjugate gradient technique is used. Finally, some practical problems are solved as examples. I love its style, it is very organized and very elegant. My professor recommended this book saying "This is the best book concerning gradient-type optimization". Especially, this book does not explain the so-called Lagrange multiplier in optimization problem like other optimal control books do. I learned from this book that it is nothing but a trick.

This is a gem of a book. In only 176 pages author Paros has summed up the Land of the Free in every relevant cliche going. For instance the spread on the All-American Girl says:
The girl next door. Pure (99 44/100%) as the driven snow. Sugar and spice. Peaches and cream. Blue-eyed blond. Sweetheart of Sigma Chi. Just like the girl that married dear old Dad. I'd like you to meet my folks. Pleased ta meetcha.

Book designers Stephen Logowitz and Jane Dickson help put the message across by using stock photos from the forties and fifties and varied typography.

Brilliant! If I've said it once I've said it a dozen times, buy this book. You won't be disappointed.

This is the definitive history of Lawrence College/University, written on the occasion of the college's sesquicentennial. In his factual and well-researched tome, Bruenig incorporates the very fine work of his predecessor, Dr. William P. Raney, who wrote extensively about the history of Lawrence and the State of Wisconsin. While this study is, no doubt, of chief interest to the countless alumni who can claim Lawrence as their alma mater, Bruenig's discussion of Lawrence's Freshman Studies program, and its inventor, the late Nathan M. Pusey (president of Lawrence, who later served as president of Harvard University), is a timeless lesson about higher education at its best.

For those who wish to know what makes a successful liberal arts college, this fascinating and informative history of Lawrence University is a must read.

In Gail Gibbons book, The Great St. Lawrence Seaway, Gibbons not only shows and tells children about the system of locks and canals on the St Lawrence River, she also weaves the history behind the seaway into her nonfictional account. This step by step process of the build up of the Seaway and how it functions is clearly and easily understood by young children. Students in the classroom also note that her illustrations convey the build up of towns and people along the banks of the St. Lawrence as more and more ships were able to pass along the waterway!

Lawrence Durrell is best known as a novelist, in particular for the four novels that make up his ALEXANDRIA QUARTET. In addition, he is both a poet and a travel writer. THE GREEK ISLANDS, though not one of his better known works, is much more than an ordinary travel guide. As he says, "the modern tourist is already well provided for in that respect." How, then, would you describe this book?

For starters, it is an island by island discussion of the physical characteristics, history, mythological importance, and peculiarities of each island. Durrell blends these together so well that, by the end of each section, you feel that you know what makes each island unique and that traveling there would be more like returning to the home of an old friend than making a first visit. He also relates those experiences that might be a warning to skip one or two of the smaller islands. In this respect he tells of an island so small that the only place to sleep was on the floor of a small chapel. This, in itself, was no reason to stay away, but the bed bug bites and fleas were. Luckily this sort of experience was the exception, not the norm.

During an extensive period before World War II, Durrell was an employee of the British Foreign Service and lived and traveled in the Greek Islands for several years. After the war, he spent several more years in a similar position for the Allies. He got to know the native inhabitants much more intimately than most foreigners ever do. He lived in some of their homes, hiked and camped in their less populous areas, and absorbed the ambience of many of the islands. During that period he kept extensive diaries. In preparing this book, these diaries along with contacts with many old friends still on the scene provided the basic information for the book.

There are two books that I wish that I had read before my visits to the Greek Islands in the early and mid '80's. This is one and Kazantzakis' REPORT TO GRECO is the other. Each provided its own outlook, and together they give an unbeatable overview. Most of us see ruins, particularly on islands such as Delos, the legendary birthplace of Apollo, drink, dance, and shop on islands such as Mykonos, eat the food and drink ouzo and retsina wherever we go, but we don't go out of or way to meet the "before the tourist came" natives. Durrell talks of going to out of the way islands and villages where one finds a room by finding the mayor who, in turn, introduces you to someone who takes you into their home as if you were a friend of the family. To do this, you have to be more of a risk taker than most of us are. I'm not sure that I fit that mold by the time I was there in the '80's, but I'd like to think that I might have. I certainly did when I was younger and living in the Philippines. Then, I (foolishly?) knew no fear, and even slept, one night in a carabao pen. (A carabao is a domesticated water buffalo.) Any port in a storm when you're young and adventurous.

To summarize, Durrell presents a picture of the Islands that integrates a place, a people, an ancient history, a mythology replete with warring gods and goddesses, and a modern history, including wars and rebellions, and freedom and slavery, into an experience worth reading about, and worth seeking out. If I'd read THE GREEK ISLANDS before my trips, I would have been more on the lookout for that world. I think that it's still there for those of us who really seek it out.

A mine of information on Guillaume de Machaut's music. Biographic elements, works, editions, chronology, essays, single articles are easily found in this remarkable guide. As it is a recent edition, all major sources are included. A really well-written book. Medieval music lovers will enjoy reading it.