This encyclopedia begins with an entry for 'aa' (a particular type of lava flow) and ends with a page-worth of data on Yellowstone National Park. In between, all geophysical phenomena associated with earthquakes and volcanoes are covered alphabetically, including anecdotes on many individual eruptions or shakings, e.g. the Kobe earthquake in Japan.

I enjoyed reading the "Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes" but thought it must be a work in progress (I have the new edition) as there were many typos and errors that even a layperson like myself could spot:

•"Io is the hottest place in the solar system outside the sun (p. 105)"---actually I believe that honor belongs to Venus. Io's average surface temperature is 130 K whereas the surface of Venus averages 740 K (hotter even than Mercury).

•The destruction of Saint Pierre by Mount Pelée: "only six individuals from the city survived (p. 172)"---Actually there were three survivors, but two died soon after being rescued. "The third, a convicted murderer liberated from an underground jail cell three days after the disaster, recovered from his burns and emigrated to the United States to live out his years as an attraction in the Barnum & Bailey Circus." (from "Perils of a Restless Planet" by Ernest Zebrowski, Jr.).

•"One of the most powerful ([Richter] M = 9.1) and destructive earthquakes of the 20th century, the Good Friday earthquake struck the south coast of Alaska along Prince William Sound on March 27, 1964 (p. 84)." On the following page, the caption under a picture states, "The [Good Friday] earthquake had a Richter magnitude of 8.5..." I checked a couple of other books which give the Richter magnitude as 8.3 and 8.6, so I am guessing that Richter M = 9.1 is probably incorrect.

Another interesting oddity concerning earthquakes, is that the authors tend to favor the Mercalli Scale, which is based on ordinary human observations, rather than the Richter Scale which defines an earthquake's magnitude in terms of the seismographically recorded ground motion.

Not all of the black-and-white photographs are dated, and the cover photograph of a volcanic eruption is not identified (although a friend of mine from Oregon swears it is Mt. St. Helens). Ideally, a newer edition of this book will label all of the photographs, and perhaps include a few in color.

All quibbling aside, this is an interesting book that fills a useful niche. It will definitely remain in my reference library, although I may be cross-checking some of its entries.

"Appendix B" which includes "Eyewitness Accounts of Major Eruptions and Quakes" is absolutely fascinating, and it alone is worth the price of the book.

Hi, I really like this book. It's bben helpfully to me for my carrer. Thanks, Michelle Trzecisnki

In a unique and very handy A-Z format, here in one volume is all the information you are ever likely to need on these most dramatic natural phenomena.
The great earthquakes and famous volcanic eruptions are comprehensively covered, with clear explanations of the geologic concepts and terms, interesting photos and maps, and thumbnail biographies of leading figures in the study of these majestic forces of nature. A particularly interesting feature is the inclusion of each state with an evaluation of its seismic potential. (There are some surprises here). Highly recommended as a very useful single-volume introduction for libraries and interested individuals.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

This book has long been a family favorite---we reviewed it in draft form and enjoyed it even more as a finished product. Having known Jim Ritchie for many many years he truly is what you see is what you get kind of person-----this book is a real keeper and guarenteed to make you laugh as you see yourself in some his stories. ..Frank C. Stebbins, Jackson, Ms

You can see the cracker barrel in your mind and picture the old timers sitting around it listening to stories such as these. The stories come alive and the illustrations are terriffic! If you are from the south you will relate. If you're not from the south (too bad) you will wish you were. Great read, great fun! I recommend it heartily!

The stories are side-splitting funny and the art, makes you want to cut out the pages to frame. What a duo..husband and wife.

On first glance at the table of contents, this book may seem to be for crafters of all levels, but I think it is best for those who already know how to stamp. Overall I think this book is useful, but it has a few drawbacks mixed in with some good advice and projects.

The first 17 pages of the Introduction could have been condensed into just a few. Also, I would have rather had pictures of the tools and techniques mentioned in this section, rather than just representations of finished products. I did think that the second half of the introduction was more informative. I especially liked the section on the elements of design.

In the Simple Stamping section Ritchie does not clearly list materials or take you through the stamping process at the time you most need it. I can understand not doing this later in the book for the more advanced projects, but I wish she would have included more pictures of intermediate stages at this point. You might ask yourself how hard can stamping be? However, to newbies such as myself who do not know much about inks and papers and such, more information would have been helpful. I do like the general tips she has scattered throughout the book.

The last section of projects is titled Frames and Backgrounds. This section contains the more advanced stamping projects. It is broken up into three smaller sections titled Embossing, Punch Art, and Special Effects. These projects all involve different layers of paper, ribbon, charms. By the way, all the projects in the book involve stamping on paper, but some of the techniques could be easily translated into projects using other materials.

In the appendix there is an Illustrated Glossary which is very nice and a list of sources. These sources should be fairly recent because the book was published in 2001.

I think people new to stamping may want to learn basic techniques from another book, but this book would be a good one to go back to after gaining some experience. This would make a nice addition to the collection of intermediate and advanced stampers because Ritchie has some really nice projects.

This book took me beyond "Stmaping 101" to a level of sophistication that I yearned for. Beginners take note... the subtitle is "Ideas, Tips and Techniques". While the authors cover everything from basics to complex, the "how-tos" do not include step-by-step illustrations. Some knowledge and/or experience with rubber stamping helps. However, I would consider myself in the novice category... PRIOR to reading and working with this book. It has helped me to polish techniques, add elegance, and gave new angles of creativity that I thought only possible through taking expensive classes. Beautifully illustrated. A resource that I will continually turn to for its abundance of "ideas, tips and techniques".

The author takes a jaundiced look at the remnants of a once-great empire and finds little to celebrate. However, there are some great set-pieces along the way, including an hilarious description of a cruise-ship load of fat American tourists who are disgorged onto Bermuda and the author's Kafkaesque tour of Gibraltar, in which he meets himself coming and going. But the book is ultimately a bit sad, the reader being left with a sense that what remains of the empire is being neglected and even ignored by an otherwise distracted mother country.

The trademark adage of the Victorian era proudly (and accurately) declared that the sun never set on the British Empire. Turn of the century maps designated British territory by using the color pink, and pink bits could indeed be found littered across the globe. However, given Britain's imperial decline and notable retreats from former prize possessions such as India and Hong Kong, at the start of the new millennium the adage is regarded (wistfully by some) as yet another testament to faded grandeur. It may strike readers as shocking therefore, to discover as Ritchie did, that Britain still has some sixteen dependencies, and that... wait for it... the sun still doesn't set on the British empire!

Intrigued by a list of these last remaining "pink bits", Ritchie sets out in this slim and compelling travelogue to asses the status of the empire by visiting a selection of them. Restricting himself to only inhabited territories, striking Pitcairn Island as being too inaccessible, and limiting himself to only one of the Caribbean territories, he sets out on a grand tour of Bermuda, Ascension Island, The Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, The Turks and Caicos Islands, Tristan da Cunha, and St. Helena. Each of the chapters contains a chatty pocket history of the territory along with an overview of the current political, social, and economic climate. Of course, woven amidst this information are Ritchie's own adventures amidst the natives, recounted in a amusing self-deprecating style reminiscent of Bill Bryson.

The chapter on Bermuda describes a lovely economic powerhouse beset with few social problems and a brilliant climate. It is essential readering for anyone planning to visit. Ascension Island gets short treatment as it is essentially a 35 square mile airbase, famous for about two seconds as a staging area during the Falklands War. Still, Ritchie manages to wring some humor out of the military types surrounding him there. Then it's on to the Falklands, which gets the lengthiest and most complex treatment in the book. Although the war was about 15 years past at the time of Ritchie's writing, the islanders are still in recovery from it, especially psychologically. It's a war that tends to be thought of as a bit of a joke (much like the US invasion of Grenada), but anyone reading this chapter will quickly learn that even the most minor of conflicts with minimal casualties are traumatic in the extreme to the non-combantants in the area.

Next is a tour of Gibraltar, which reveals its population as wildly diverse and deeply segregated. Again, there is some very interesting history here, especially the tension between "the rock" and mainland Spain. In the Caribbean, Ritchie visits the beautiful and deserted backwater that is the Turks and Caicos Islands. Struggling to develop, the islands languish out of sight and out of mind but are the equal in natural splendor of any other part of the Caribbean The next stop is Tristan da Cunha, which is probably the most interesting of any of the places Ritche visits. Originally a naval base, its civilian population began in 1817 with a British couple who produced 16 children, and almost two centuries later, one finds there are only eight surnames in use. Ritchie's five hour visit unearths an incredible 300 person utopia'a cooperative, sustainable, and happy community. Interestingly, due to its homogeneity, Canadian researchers have found it a perfect place to try and isolate the gene responsible for asthma. It's a territory that begs for further study.

Finally, Ritchie stops at St. Helena'the famous prison island of Napoleon. Here is perhaps the greatest example of woe and imperial neglect. Indeed, it's the capstone to a book whose somewhat bitter running theme is that Britain's few remaining imperial outposts (total population around 150,000) are being utterly neglected by their imperial owners. All in all, this is an excellent piece of travel writing, filled with good humor ("Ritchie's First Law of Colonial Life'which states that, whichever pink bit I visited, I would have a better than evens chance of meeting an expert on Scottish football), nuggets of history, and pointedly detailing problems and injustices in the last "pink bits."

Perfect companion to my Defined King James. Based on AV/KJV. Useful for the literal meanings of names and places, minimalist important cross referencing texts. NT text quoting OT clearly shown with different fonts. Pocket version's font size is really small - not for tired eyes.

I am a bible school student at New Brunswick Bible Institute training to become a Pastor and my Theology Professor highly recomended this bible. In fact, he said it is the best on the market, it has marginal notes showing the origianal Greek and Hebrew words with the full meaning. A must for any one endeavoring to teach the bible.

More like an easygoing conversation with an old friend than a traditional autobiography, "They Can't Hide Us Anymore" brings Richie Havens close to the reader. One can almost feel the deep resonating timbre that suffuses his music as Havens shares vivid memories of his adolescence in a boisterous but bucolic Brooklyn before ethnicity mattered; early adulthood in the Village when it was THE place to be and his globetrotting journey since those days.

Like his singing, some tales seem cyclic with hints of what is to come, only to be reprised on a later page. Others slowly reveal his many and varied interests beyond the stage - the visual arts, his profound belief in the power of children, and his commitment to safeguard this planet and its inhabitants. Havens' skill as a storyteller serves him well in this thoroughly enjoyable book. Whether a fan from years back or someone just discovering the wandering troubadour, this book will help you know and possibly even understand the man behind the music. Buy it, put on one of his CDs and read. It will be, as Havens is known to say, "Far out!"

If you have ever seen Richie perform, then you will feel that you are a part of this book. It draws you in like you are sitting next to him and he is telling you stories of the likes of Dylan and Hendrix. This book is an extension of Havens and shows you a side of him beyond his melodic guitar and ballads. I have spent many hours both listening to his performances and talking with him in his dressing rooms and at many Woodstock anniversaries. I thought I knew him well until I purchased his book. It showed me the real Havens, and what a great man he truly is. I urge you to sit down and read it from cover to cover and then read it again !

This book reveals the inner thoughts of Richie Haven's genius. The stories behind his story, with credits to those individuals who helped shape the true music of the 60's and 70's, are wonderful. One finds that the kindness expressed in Richie Haven's music and wishes for a better world, are those which really exist in his mind and spirit. This is a great book for anyone who grew-up in the 60's, as well as for others who love contemporary folk music and/or Richie Havens...S. Winters

In a letter to his confidant and friend, Wilhelm Fleiss, the then middle aged neurologist, Sigmund Freud, was in the midst of researching and writing his beloved 'dream book'. He wrote the following:

"Now I have finished and am thinking about the dream book again. I have been looking into the literature and feel like a Celtic imp."Oh, how I am glad that no one, no one knows..." No one suspects that the dream is not nonsense but wish fulfillment."

Indeed, this is the premise of Freud's entire thesis: dreams are no more than repressed unconscious wishes, battling for expression and consummation.

In his own words, Freud had 'dared' to rally against the 'objections of severe science, to take the part of the ancients and of superstition.' In 1900, the official year of the book's publication, its reception, despite its provoctive title, was tepid, and in the course of six years, only sold 351 copies. Freud never gave up hope, and 30 years later, in the preface of the third English edition, he wrote, "It contains, even according to my present day judgement, the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good fortune to make. Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once a lifetime.' In present day, one can question any Freud scholar about ~The Interpretation of Dreams~ and they will say the same thing: the book contains everything that 'is' psychoanalysis.

Anyone interested in the history of psychoanalysis and the mind of Sigmund Freud, reading this book is an absolute must. The reading runs along too, quite easily, as Freud was an excellent writer: his unique prose style even shines through some clumsy translations.

If you are interested in the book's process of development, I would suggest reading ~The Complete Letters of Sigmund Freud and Wilhelm Fliess~; another gold mine for understanding the growth of psychoanalysis.

Dreams are some of the most mysterious, most enchanting, and most sacred experiences in all of human existence--and yet they are also some of the most elusive, and so their meaning has been scrutinized by every culture of the human race, for thousands and thousands of years.

In all of these inquiries, perhaps none has been more thorough, more scientific, and more systematic than Dr. Sigmund Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" (1900). In his book, Freud surveys the scientific research on dreams put forth so far (a remarkable achievement of scholarship in itself), and then puts forth his own theory of dreams.

Dreams, Freud claims, are nothing more than a fulfillment of an unconscious wish. He supports his theory with analysis from a selection of actual dreams from his patients and from his own experience.

Much of this book is entertaining and enlightening. Freud's good taste in literature is reflected in his own engaging style, and his sense of scholarly adventure is catching. Plus, he doesn't shy away from the big questions. How can we interpret dreams? How does a dream come about? What is the purpose of dreams? Why are all dreams wish fulfillments? What are the meaning of typical dreams, like losing teeth?--all these questions are tackled here. This is the book where Freud first puts forth his Oedipal theory.

Freud's theory is always insightful, if not totally accurate. He seems to try too hard to make all the data jive with his "wish-fulfillment" theory, and when it doesn't, he resorts to ludicrous arguments reminiscent of Anselm's ontological catastrophe. For example, when a dream is clearly not a wish fulfillment, Freud asserts that it has actually fulfilled a wish--a wish that his theory is wrong. Poppycock.

Despite these occasional stretches of reasonability, you'll come away from this book with a much greater understanding of the nature of dreams and the mental processes that bring dreams about. Highly recommended.

This is a good intro to Freud; consider also "Introductory Lectures on Psychoanaylsis."

Easy to read and perfectly inteligible for the average
non-professional reader like me. This is the most important book written by Sigmund Freud and is in the Freudian tradition of writting some books which focus on difficult issues with a rather simple to understand language and fine style. The purpose of the author, in his own words, was to disturb the sleep of mankind.

This is the kind of book that will help you a lot in understand the mechanisms behind one's dreams and all the relationship between what Freud calls your "waking life" and your "dream-life". Before going on interpreting a lot of his and his patients dreams, something that took a lot of personal sacrifice to someone so jealous of his private life as Freud, the author introduces us to the then (1899) accepted theories of dreams, which basically took the dreams as irrational and confuse manifstations that didn't have nothing to do with our real or waking life.

The rationale Freud uses to demolish the anti-Freudian myths is powerful and convincing and he even suggests that reading the book will have some effect on our immediate dream life (it happened to me). Despite quite voluminous (700 pages) it deservs the attention and the effort of all of us who want to understand what dreams are all about. Here also, one reads the first paragraphs Freuds devotes to the Oedipus complex, and one has the opportunity to explore along with Freud the mechanisms of the UCS (unconscious) and of our Conscious activities, which some decades latter would lead to the concepts of Ego, Super-Ego and Id.

As a trademark the text is always polemical, remembering this same quality one faces in Marxists texts.

I've read both of Dr. George G. Ritchie's books. His first one Return From Tomorrow, co-authored with Elizabeth Sherrill, was powerful, enthralling, positive and full of hope. I was so inspired by chapter four, when he was visited by Christ, that I completed the book in one sitting. It was with the expectation of furthering this experience that I purchased his second book, Ordered to Return.

It soon became evident, this book was not written by Sherill. The first half of the book repeated parts of his first book, giving his life after death experience. This was followed by his interpretation of that experience as he lived the rest of his life. This was interesting, but possible to put down and return to. Through a sentence here and there, his disappointments with persons and religions, that in his opinion failed to lead followers toward a loving God, began to show.

His chapter on addictions, "The Healing of an Alcoholic," was very inspiring. It described how he encouraged one alcoholic, to find God and be delivered when she didn't want either. He credited this to divine intervention.

In section three, "Searching for the Truth that Can free us to Live," he revealed his belief in reincarnation. In several places Dr. Ritchie expresses his belief in the forgiveness of all sin through Jesus' Crucifixion, but of what value is reincarnation, or to whom, was not addressed. Chapters 13-15 were depressing with rambling, disconnected thoughts, expressing his rage with organized religions and the bible, for the destruction (judgement, guilt, shame, etc.) they had caused to the patients he had been treating. This may have been good therapy for him, but a poor read for us. Since his point had been made earlier, to expand further was to belabor this point. All the good work done in the previous chapters was undone here. The reader finds himself being drawn back to antiquity to review the sins of religion, thus negating the Father's promise in the old testament not to visit the sins of the fathers on the children.

The kind gentleness that the forgiving Jesus extended to him in his life-after-death experience was not carried over by him to the sins mentioned above. This upset me a good bit. What he wrote was true but lopsided, void of the good and healing done by these same groups and writings. The effect was that I wanted to remove them and not read the book again. He wrote that his publisher asked him to rewrite these chapters when they were first submitted. One can only imagine the anger expressed in them, if the rewrites were an improvement. When Elizabeth Sherrill did the writing in the first book, Return From Tomorrow, the thoughts expressed were clear and penetrating. I highly recommend it as well as the other books she has co-authored.

If you are weak in faith or confused about God, this book will probably leave you feeling it's useless looking to any religion or to the Bible to find God or truth, which I don't think was Dr. Ritchie's intention. Dr. Ritchie does state he is a member of a church and he quotes scripture, causing confusion in a cross-purpose of ideas.

As a relative of Dr. Ritchie, I have been very fortunate to hear him personally discuss his near death experience. Reading Dr. Ritchie's books ("Return From Tomorrow" and "Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying") are a wonderful substitute for those who are unable to hear him personally relate his experience. It is an interesting dedication note that hearing Dr. Ritchie's NDE, was the seed for Dr. Raymond Moody's book, "Life After Life". Dr. Ritchie's book includes his encounter with Christ, a review of his own life and its meaning, and a visit to various spiritual realms. This book helped me to understand that life is more than merely a physical existence; it is also a spiritual journey. Dr. Ritchie's experience made Christ real and personal. It helped me to change the focus of my life by better understanding the purpose of my life.

This book presents Dr. Richie's experience and what he has learned from it after a lifetime of living what he saw at age 20. His insight into today's problems and the cure is as accurate and simply put as any I've ever read. I strongly recommend you read his first book ("Return from Tomorrow") which describes his initial experience in detail before reading this one as it will give you better background information and have a deeper meaning for you. This is the book that confirms what I have felt in my heart for years. If you are searching for simple truths and answers, this is the book for you. It's sensible, matter-of-fact, down-to-Earth, and not some off-the-wall description of an after-death experience that's difficult, if not impossible to believe!

This was a great biography. I foolsihly thought that the movie was accurate, but this book proves me wrong. It would have been good for the movie to be just like this book, but of course the show business just wants to make it look good to make a profit! As well, maybe the movie makers had to change some things around or they would get sued. If I were going to make a movie about him, I would base it on this book. The movie was a good movie, but not truly about the real Ritchie Valens...same as the Buddy Holly Story.

I had been a fan of Ritchie's since 1988. When I learned of this book through Ritchie's offical fan club; I couldn't have been more pleased. I had done a research paper in my senior year of high school, on Ritchie, and I realized how little was written about him. The first Latino Rocker is the only book out there about Ritchie, and I thought it was wonderful. The other shared someone personal traits about Ritchie that allowed me to know him at least a little bit. It was actually better than the movie La Bamba. I highly recomend this book for a new Ritchie fan. I love the pictures of him in the book. My heart goes out to his family and friends since tomorrow will be February 3rd.

Ms. Mendheim does much much more than give us an accurate account of the famed Lation rock-n-roll star's life. She successfully immerses us completely in Ritchie Valens' music, leaving us with a comprehensive wealth of knowledge that was long overdue for the public! Ms. Mendheim's thorough research is to be congratulated time after time! You WON'T be disappointed!

At first I wasnt satisfied with this book as the title led me to expect a more in-depth analysis. The book however is useful for the average non technition musician and is easy to understand, well written. Once I read it I bought another copy for my son, he isn't interested in being a tech but the info here can save ...if you are a working musician and let you know when you are better off seeking professional help (for your amp). Set up your guitar, set bias, troubleshooting etc. good basic info.

This book will cover you unless you want to get into wire by wire circuit details. Clearly written, for the most part. Practical, step-by-step descriptions and lots of figures and pictures. Includes an amp troubleshooting flow chart with a number of "take it to the shop" dead-ends. If you're seriously considering opening your amp, the $12 is a good investment. A surprising amount of useful information like tube pin numbers, work-saving gadgets, and suppliers.

I bought this book and basically got what I expected, a book aimed a providing guitarists with basic maintenance and upkeep for guitars and amps. As a bassist, I found the book lacking a bit in that particular department, but it's easy enough to apply guitar concepts to bass. The diagrams and explanations are beautifully done though, and contain some very helpful tips that I continue to use on a regular basis, such as the trick for repairing worn out strap nut holes. Those looking for more intricate and specialized guitar and amp repair will want to look elsewhere, but this is a wonderful book to start with.