The author was in Armenia at a difficult but pivotal time. He was excited to be there, hardships notwithstanding, and maybe that's why the book was a good read: the author's excitement rubs off on the reader.

He recalls his adventures, his meetings (with top officials and starving farmers alike), and his impressions. We see a country coping with the collapse of its economy, two years after the breakup of the Soviet Union: for example, a cheese shop full of cheese that turns out to radioactive, dumped from Chernobyl; or waking up, lighting a kerosene heater, and waiting for water in the teapot to thaw before eventually boiling.

In the background there is war between neighboring Azerbaijan and the Armenian enclave of Karabagh. We get a look behind the scenes. In one chapter, we are told that according to U.S. and French intelligence reports, Turkey was planning an invasion of Armenia. The suggestion is alarming, and certainly worth looking into.

All-in-all, a worthwhile book.

Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, the author of Caucasus Chronicles: Nation-Building And Diplomacy In Armenia, 1993-1994, was appointed Greek ambassador to the newly independent Armenia in 1993, entering the country as an ambassador at a pivotal moment when world powers were just starting to struggle for a new world created by the collapse of the Cold War. Caucasus Chronicles provides a survey of nation-building and diplomatic processes in the newly independent Armenia from 1993-94, providing excellent first-person insights.

As a woman, I would feel most grateful and honored if Choi Chatterjee would share more of her wisdom with the faceless and unwashed masses. In particular, I am interested in the history of feminists with six figure husbands, the best kind of feminists money can buy. I became interested in this subject as a student of Carol Srole's, and my interest blossomed as I became more interested in how I could be a feminist, and still get a man to pay most my bills.

The message of this book is that if we would just listen to women, particularly women in academia, their insights, wisdom, and uncommonly intelligent perspective on history and other things, then we would be so much better off.
Of course, men have run the world amuck for the past ten thousand years. And I don't think i'm the first one to admit that they have done a pretty good job of fouling it up, as well! Just look at how they've treated WOMEN, for crying out loud. They treat them like, I don't know what, but Choi Chatterjee sure does. She knows what women have suffered, and how easy men have had it all these years.
Please, I ask y ou, take a moment, today, tomorrow, or some day soon, to really LISTEN to what women in academia are saying. Then, and only then, will the world be a better place. And if you don't believe me, go ask Phil Goff and Francisco Balderrama. They'll tell you.

As a resident of Washington state who enjoys the natural beauty of the area, I found this book to be a most helpful and inspiring guide. The authors are knowledgable about the natural history of the region, and the text is accompanied by many beautiful photographs. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone planning to visit the area for the first time, or to residents of the Northwest who want to learn more about the natural bounty that their region has to offer.

As a resident of Washington state who loves the natural beauty of the region, I've found this to be the most helpful, informative and nicely illustrated guide to the natural areas of Washington and Oregon. The book is well written, with beautiful photographs, and has not only inspired me to visit a lot of new places but has enriched my experience of those places I was already familiar with. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone planning on visiting the Northwest --- and especially to those already living here!

Although it has been 20 years since I left Chicago, I still miss it with a passion. It was good to me. I was young and found plenty of opportunity in that great city. I meet some wonderful people as well. I just got this book today but it is a keeper, I can tell. The photos are great and the facts in it are educational, I learned something already; I never saw a picture of the oldest remaining house in Chicago until now.
So, if you are a Chicagoan, former Chicagoan, or just someone that would like to learn about a great city, buy this book.

Our Chicago is a visual smorgasbord of the great sights and highlights of this grand city. Full-color photographs by Ron Schramm, enhanced with an engaging text and informative captions by Marilyn D. Clancy vividly illustrate this visual tour of this American Midwestern city, from its homey neighborhoods to its fast-paced commerce and high culture. An excellent and memorable souvenir of vacationing or living in the Windy City, Our Chicago is a welcome and highly recommended work, which could well serve as a template or example for similar visual showcase tributes for other major American cities.

Five years later and most of the places in this book still rank right up there.

This Chicago travel guide is fun to read and will get you excited for your upcoming trip. It is broken down into useful chapters (ex. Dining, Notable Potables, Shopping, etc.), with entertaining entries (Best hotel that's crazy about Chicago, Best club where both the food and the music are "hot"). This is one of the best Chicago travel guides available, and it is especially great for lovers of Chicago who return again and again wanting to discover a new, wonderful aspect to "our kind of town."

China chic is a truly haunting experienc

*China Chic* is a gorgeous yet scholarly study of the interchange between China and the West in terms of fashion. Among the many intriguing points is how women of Chinese ancestry in the West are now influencing fashion design in new, very sophisticated ways. The combined efforts of Valerie Steele, John Major, and others make this book a must-read, just as the exhibit at the Fashion Institute in spring 1999 that this book used as a basis was a must-see for anyone who cares about fashion, culture and dress, or Chinese history.

I've been reading and rereading this book for thirty-five years. China from a personal yet objective point of view (British journalist married into an old Chinese family), this is quite simply the best introduction to the subject I know anything about. It is beautifully written, interesting and exciting from beginning to end, and certainly one of the most memorable books on China you will ever read. If you are only going to read one book on Chinese culture and civilization, this is the book to read. But, believe me, you will not want to stop with "The Chinese Looking Glass." Read Bloodsworth's book and you will be hooked on the subject for many years to come.

This is an excellent book for the person wanting to understand Chinese culture from an internal point of view. It helps explain why China's expirement with democracy didn't work and the country's attitude towards western culture. Although some of the information is outdated, it uses several thousand years of history to back up the author's assumption about Chinese attitudes and mores, including such controversial subjects as the Vietnam War and Japanese culture's debt to China. It covers such varied subjects as food, religion (or the lack of), clothing and technology and above all Chinese ideas about these subjects and the world around them.

If nothing else can be said for Warren Lehrer you can say that he is excellent at capturing people. I love this book. I've read all the portrait series books (I had to for class) and Claude was my second favorite. Brother Blue was my first. Claude is a captivating guy. I can see why women love him. If you're looking for a book that truly reveals and captures an honestly interesting character, buy this book. Heck, it's worth it just to read Claude's advice for having great relationships.

If nothing else can be said for Warren Lehrer you can say that he is excellent at capturing people. I love this book. I've read all the portrait series books (I had to for class) and Claude was my second favorite. Brother Blue was my first. Claude is a captivating guy. I can see why women love him. If you're looking for a book that truly reveals and captures an honestly interesting character, buy this book. Heck, it's worth it just to read Claude's advice for having great relationships.

Michael Cook,,,, well, I know he partnered up with Patricia Crone to formulate a radical theory about the origins of Islam which has yet to really move the learned community; save those neo-orientalist who can't quite figure this "Islam thing" out no matter how many journals they publish or how many books they read. It seems to me that when Michael Cook and Patricia Crone teamed up it is similar to Picketts charge during the battle of Gettysburg. While that charge didn't end the war, it delivered a serious blow to the morale of the defeated party. While the Muslim and Academic Scholars have issued very critical statements regarding the scholarship of this dynamic duo, I have found it fascinating to study the development of Orientalist thought from such minds as Matin Luther (yes, the founder of the protestant movement) to revisionist scholars like John Wansborough (Patricia Crones mentor in "deconstruction Islam"). Anyway, you must wonder why I have given this title five stars. the answer is that this is a wonderful study. Aside from Michael Cooks dabbling in deconstructionist theories (Early Muslim Dogma), I have found this book to be exhaustive and fair in its treatment of the subject. I don't know if Michael Cook still entertains the theories of his past (it might be too costly to his dignity as an academic to admit the immaturity of the theories he signed his names to), but I really don't care. There is little room for Cook to advance radical theories in this title because it is , for the most part, a historical study into the development of the legal discourse pertaining to the Qur'anic tenet, "command what is right, and forbid what is wrong". A very informative and entertaining study. I received a lot of clarity on this issue just by reviewing the positions held by the jurists of the legal culture. A good book to have and a nice departure (for Cook) from lame-brained attempts to rewrite history.

Cook has achieved something special in this work. He demonstrates that he is a rare and gifted scholar with an awesome ability to intregrate vast seas of thought into one coherent whole. This work covers "Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong" from its origins in the Koran up until modern times, though he focuses upon the classical period throughout the vast majority of his book. All sects with a significant body of material are represented. Why this topic?-- Basically, this doctrine has historically proved to be the major foundation of any Islamic social ethic; therefore, how it is concieved usually predetermines how one thinks justice ought to be established in this word or by whom it should be established. Cook possesses a talent for giving seemingly distant and irrelevant doctrines a timely relation to today insofar as his studies illuminates how two different cultures approach moral actions in their respective societies. Parts of this book are vast and copiously detailed; however, it was exhaustively documented and extremely efficiently organized throughout. Thus, it is enormously accessible and immensely useful for reference as well. The high price is unfortunate, but it is without a doubt worth the money for anyone interested in Islamics.

Filled with exquisite full-color illustrations, Common Birds Of North America: Midwest Edition by James Wilson (Missouri Department of Conservation State Ornithologist) is an excellent guidebook for birdwatchers of all experience levels. Each species features a fine full-page portrait showing male and female specimens if the plumage is very different, and a one-page summary of the bird's habitat, call, typical behavior, and more. A concise, elegant guide, Common Birds Of North America: Midwest Edition is an invaluable resource for birdwatchers.

Wow. Having watched Jim doodle birds and landscapes in pen and ink during staff meetings at the conservation department, I should not have been surprised at the accuracy and quality of his illustrations in this book. Aside from the gorgeous images of the birds and their settings, Jim also manages to capture elements of the birds' songs and behavior in easy-to-read text. It's a great book for people who are interested in learning how bird species make their livings as well as how to identify them. I bought one for my Mom (who loves to watch her bird feeder visitors), and she loved it.