Last year this reviewer would never have read a book like FIGHTING CANCER FROM WITHIN: HOW TO USE THE POWER OF YOUR MIND FOR HEALING for it is clearly intended to help a specific group. However, my beautiful neighbor Chuck came down with a deadly form of cancer, but as his health deteriorated his will to live and his love for his wife, children, and grandchildren, and his conviction in God left me in awe of a great person. No miracle occurred as Chuck ultimately passed away, but he fought to live until the end and probably gained an extra month to hug his family and friends. With his memory etched in my brain, this reviewer read Dr. Martin L. Rossman's guidebook with a more open mind than the cynic I was would have read it last year, that is if I even tried.

This book does not claim that mental imagery replaces accepted medical practices in the fight against cancer. There is no special philosopher's stone, but instead Dr. Rossman provides readers with an easy to follow guide on how a victim's mind can help in the unending war. He furnishes specific examples to improve the odds of defeating or at least containing the deadly disease. Dr. Rossman asserts that a positive mind can lead to significant emotional and physical impact and shows how to complement standard treatments with specific imaging techniques to bring the entire mind and body into focus against the invaders. Not guaranteeing any walk on water cure, this is a winning tool in the fight against cancer.

Harriet Klausner

Dr. Rossman's book, Fighting Cancer from Within, is a remarkable and important contribution to the field of oncology. His practical approach translates the idea of comprehensive healing of mind, body and spirit into a realistic guide for the newly diagnosed cancer patient.

As an Oncologist for almost 30 years, I continue to be amazed at the possibilities for healing, which can be facilitated with the use of guided imagery. Dr. Rossman provides a valuable guide through which cancer patients can empower themselves to cope with their disease process. This book teaches patients how to reduce the stress of their initial anguish and turmoil, facilitate healing from surgery faster and more completely, tolerate side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation better, and begin the journey of healing and recovery.

I plan to make this book available to each new cancer patient receiving treatment in our practice at California Cancer Care. -David S. Gullion, M.D.

I think this book is the most beautiful book on flower arranging that I have ever seen. There are all types of arrangements for all seasons and all occasions. I am giving it to all members of my family and many friends for Christmas, even teenage granddaughters. It will become an heirloon and study guide of the future.

For years, amateur foreign floral arrangers have compiled anthologies of their work - from France, Italy, Belgium, New Zealand and even South Africa. "The Fine Art of Flower Arranging" is the American compendium, featuring arrangers from Maine to Hawaii who have created 150 works of floral art. Also unique is its combination of historical perspective, flower show flower arranging competition entries and an extensive resources and further reading section. I particularly enjoyed the arrangers' texts which explain their thinking and methods. What a fabulously rich learning experience, beautifully written and compiled by Nancy D'Oench and enhanced by Mick Hales' exciting floral photography. A coffeetable book that makes the ideal gift for any flower arranger.

Tina Chow was not only a celebrity of her time, but a wise investor in vintage Haute Couture. Before her untimely death, she amassed a collection of some of the finest clothes ever made. Tina was a model and great beauty, but she was also a person with a family and friends and her legacy as a socialite and fashion maven should not die with her. I hope that her family someday writes the biography of Tina.

I'm not a fashion fanatic but I do wish I could own this book! After borrowing this book twice (and maybe more in the future), I've come to the conclusion that I'm drawn more to the photography of the clothes in this book, rather than the clothe itself:| Anyways, the book is first presented with an innocent Preface by Tina Chow, then a seemingly detailed Introduction with unique photos of Ms. Chow at work or wearing her collection. I like how this book is easily divided by designers of the clothes Tina Chow has collected. Each part has a detailed and sometimes historic description of the dresses. Some have patterns and sketches drawn out. The combination of intricate lighting, angles, and closeups on the fashion makes the photos stunning. But one must marvel at Ms. Chow's beauty when posing in some of her collections. She adds much sparkle and longetivity to these rather out of date and sometimes "tacky" dresses that I can never find myself in. Well, except in the "cheongsam" that Ms. Chow is seen posing in with parasols seemingly floating around her.. Since Ms. Chow's passing, I can see this book as a reference for admirers of her collection. Or rather, as a surprise since there are cameos by those closest to her. Sorry, no Warhol..but you'll see. :-)

This probably the best written and most beautifully designed Greek cookbook that I've come across. The photographs are absolutely stunning and certainly inspire one to want to start cooking - pronto! The recipes seem to come close the fare I fell in love with in the little family-run tavernas of Crete. The author is a food writer for a Greek magazine and has a multitude of worthwhile insights on the nature of Hellenic gastronomy and foodways. I'd say that if you could have only one Greek cookbook (tragic as that would be), this would be it.

This is Greek food distilled to purity...the real thing, the stuff of the centuries. This book probably the best Greek cookbook I own -- and I own dozens of them. The author writes about food for a Greek publication, and really knows her stuff. She went in search of the authentic Greek cuisine of our grandmothers, far from the greasy moussaka and insipid souvlaki of touristy Greece. It's not the Greek food trying to be French or American, not masquerading as something pretentious, using alien ingredients and modern short-cuts. Kremezi's quest for the authentic took her to the back roads, the tiny islands, where the fundamentals of Greek food -- the olive oil, the figs, the wild greens, the fresh fish -- are treated the same way they have been for thousands of years. Each page is a revelation, a journey, a deeply satisfying treasure ---- found. The book is rich in the history, lore, detailed preparation of each component of the meal. Also, it's a large-format, coffee-table book, full of pictures of the authentic Greece the author is seeking and is concentrating on so well--the Greece that was, and in some areas, still is. It is a world of perfect blue skies, white stone houses -- a world apart from the modern, noisy existence the "other" Greece can be.

I'm normally not a model builder, and I never saw Forbes Field, but I really enjoyed putting this ballpark model together. The quality of the design is tremendous, and the finished product is display-worthy. A nice gift idea for native Pittsburghers. The enterprise is very much doable, but this is no two-day project. If you aren't willing to put some energy into it, you're better off with a jigsaw puzzle.

A must for the classic ballpark enthusiast. A real challange for the model builder but well worth the time and effort.An excellent tribute to the "Old Lady of Schenly Park.

Seretta Martin's Collection of Poems dance with her surreal and enigmatic drawings.

Her cover of green vines surrounds a classical statue of a woman who gazes adoringly at something beyond our view.

That "something" is revealed within each poem.

The lizard scurrying across the womans' seemingly endless waves of hair promises artful whimsy within.

This finely crafted book deserves a place of prominence in your home.

I recommend the coffee table when it isn't tucked into your traveling bag, with you wherever you go.

Steal a moment and step into just one of her poems.

Then watch the world around you and within you change, quietly, imperceptively.

You will be so glad you did!

A wonderful collection of poems in different styles, lightly and pleasantly embellished by the author's own drawings, "Foreign Dust, Familiar Rain" is a fine mix of the foreign and the familiar.

From the haunting "Monarch", described as a true story at Ground Zero at That time, to the playful "Cosmic Latte", there is truth in each poem. No extra words, no wasted effort - but the poet finds it necessary to pout in the gem, "To My Editor, J.W.", as he denies her the tortured phrase "Sparks rancid neuron wine". Of course, she finds a way to trick that editor, even in her pout. And some of those words appear in another poem, perhaps the best in the book, "Reliquary", as she asks, "Doesn't she feel the Sorceress sparking her neurons?"

There is a selection of her Haiku and Senryu; the first, "Reflections in the Pond" is my favorite, as memories or her feelings battle one another. It ends: "Petals floated in the pond where summer seemed to love itself as if it claimed all the seasons." And then, indented and italicized, "No, not all of them." Sweet.

Although unfortunately you can't see it on Amazon.com, I was immediately taken by the book's cover, and it bespoke the high quality of the book's production. You will want to have it around, say, on your coffee table or some other favorite resting place, for all to see and for you to admire.

I think you ought to buy the book and bring a little more light into your life!

This book, more than any other ever written, presents perhaps the most frightening,yet accurate, views of what Hell will be like. This book , plus F.X. Schouppe's book "How To Avoid Hell" are the most sobering books ever written on a very sobering topic(Hell!) Buy this book and prepare to re-assess your lifestyle.

Anyone who is involved in christianity should read this book. The author does not cut corners in his presentation of death, judgement, heaven and hell. He shows what the bible, theologians and saints have said about these four subjects. The book is scary to say the least, because the author is not afraid to delve deeply into what many people do not want to hear. He writes about how the number of the saved are few, the eternity of heaven and hell, the hatred and persecutions of the devil and the visions of saints, who portray a merciful but very just God. Read the book.

A beautiful book that sparks with the wonderment of life. I am inspired by the way Ionesco combines storytelling and philosophy in such a elgeant manner. He is able to provide organization to the chaos which is the search for understanding. He writes honestly and from the heart with the most humble tone i have read in a long time. Anyone who has ever pondered the basic questions of life and death should read this book. He will both inspire and teach any open mind.

Ionescu wrote a jouranl that make takes your breath away. There is so much human understanding, so deep and still so common questions he poses inthis book that one cannot stop admiring it. He was ald when he wrote it and all his fame and career were already behind. The 'member of the French Academy' the 'imortal' appears to the reader amazingly simple and shy with a touch of gentilness and kindness sending you rather to Reiner Maria Rilke than to the author of 'Rhinoceros'.A book that deserves to be read!

Most leadership books recycle old leadership theories by using different anecdotes to illustrate the same points as previous books. Not so with this book. I would say this is among 5 or so leadership books (that I've read) that is truly groundbreaking. It reminds me a little bit of another pathbreaking book--Howard Gardner's Leading Minds. Anyone who enjoyed that book will certainly love this one. Policy making is not my strong suit, but I feel much more informed about the subject after reading this book. Schon and Rein show how past ways of handling policy controversies are insufficient and that a new way (frame reflection) is necessary to end policy stalemates and pendulum swings in policy. I can't recommend this book enough. It is not an easy book to read though: it will take some time to digest all the ideas in this small tome. But its well worth it. Two thumbs up for this book!

This is an important book. Schon and Rein give a crystal clear explanation of why intractable policy controversies occur, and review the theory base underlying the three most common means of dealing with them: 1) "rational" policy analysis, 2)power politics, and 3)mediated negotiation. They show how each of these depends on assumptions of microeconomics, which do not hold when people hold different "basic values."

The dominant tradition of policy choice, based on the rational actor model hopes to treat disputes as instrumental problems that can be solved through the application of a value-neutral policy science. The political perspective is a pluralist model in which policy making is seen as a political game of multiple rational actors, each with his own interests, freedoms, and powers. Consensual dispute resolution through joint gains is the theme of mediated negotiation.

A large and important class of policy disputes has proven resistant to each of these 3 main traditions. Once the reader can understand why this is so, the authors propose a new 4th way of making sense of intractable policy controversies, which focuses on getting at the underlying structures of belief, perceptiion, and appreciation, which they call "frames."

The idea is that once actors in the dispute can get a better understanding of their underlying assumptions, and frames, they can begin to shift their often tacit and untested ways of seeing the world and the issue. This can lead to better understanding of the arguments each side is making, and a reasoned approach to what "data" is relevant to the situation.

Several case studies are included in the book, which illustrate how this new approach can work.

For anyone struggling to do better on a seemingly unsolvable conflict, this book will help.

Paul Monus bp Chemicals, Lima Ohio

"The Friendly Stars-How to locate and identify them"is an excellent introduction to the joys and simple delights ofstargazing. It accomplishes this by helping the novice observer identify the brightest stars that first appear in the east and instilling each one with a certain character that reinforces its uniqueness in our minds. Indeed, throughout the book the author emphasizes developing a relationship with the stars, kindling a warmth that may develop (as it did in me) into a lifelong fascination with this area of nature study. Once the location of the brighter stars are fixed in ones mind, a foundation has been laid for the identification of the constellations: the ancient imaginative star patterns created by our Mesopotamian civilization builders. There is a sprinkling of mythology and a dash of astronomical facts about the stars and ancient patterns that enhances the star-learning experience with the added bonus of ennobling the mind. One joy I felt reading this classic was how Martha Evans Martin would engagingly write of her experience of not only seeing a certain star but also combining other areas of nature into the event- the blooming of certain flowers or the appearances of various birds- a point which makes the book a celebration of outdoor things. To be aware of the beautiful in this world can be an antidote to the modern world's ills, an ointment for a stressed out society. First written in 1907, this little gem has influenced countless people to become professional astronomers (as it did the reviser of this edition-Donald Menzel); amateur astronomers (as it did the late Leslie Peltier-Ohio amateur, author of Starlight Nights and discoverer of a dozen comets); or skilled observers of nature (AnnieDillard -Mornings Like This: Found Poems, among others). But, it is not a technical work. All it needs is a curious mind that wants to open a door to the wonders of astronomy. It has influenced boy scouts and girl guides, scientists and poets, the young and the old; it is, as the stars themselves, a timeless classic.

I came across this little paperback in a sailing store in Sausalito and had to buy it. The original edition was published in 1907. How often do you see books from that era reprinted in 1964 and still available nearly a century later? This book is obviously a classic.

It's charm is in the descriptions of the twenty or so brightest stars in the sky that can be seen from the northern hemisphere. Also described are the major constellations that these bright stars are in or near.

All the scientific details about each star or constellation are there along with some little comment about what makes each special. We see "golden Capella, rose-tinted Aldebaran, red-faced Betelguese, fair Rigel, the gentle Pollux, and Procyon, the smaller Dog star, all fresh and joyous and eager" in our mind's eye before going out of doors and seeking them in person.

The book aids observation of these stars in the sky by detailing the seasons of the year and time and place in the sky when each of the stars rise and set. The book's mention of the relative positions of stars and of constellations with each other and its maps make the process of finding things in the night sky even easier.

I know there are planetarium programs out there with all kinds of astronomical information, but none can match the writing style of this little tome. It reminds me very much of Henry David Thoreau's writings about the wild apple trees, the rivers, and other natural things in his neck of the woods.

Buy the book, get your binoculars or telescope and head outside for a night of wild magical viewing.