The information in this book is accurate, interesting and very readable. The ilustrations are superb.
An invaluable resource for anyone studying diamonds but also written in such a way that it is of general interest.
This book has proved very popular here in Sydney - I have already ordered 11 copies for myself and my gemmologist friends.

I believe that this is the most comprehensive general textbook on diamonds out there. It covers EVERYTHING: natural history, the diamond industry, diamond-cutting, gemology, jewelry, mythology and symbolism, chemistry and physics, natural formation and man-made synthesis... The original research is very impressive (it was commissioned by the French Natural History Museum to when they did their blockbuster exhibition on diamonds a couple of years ago). Among other things, it convincingly rebuts the theory that diamond-cutting was invented in India and presents a considerable amount of information on famous diamonds from archive sources. The illustrations are also impressive, including archive photos from De Beers that were developed and printed for the first time in over a century.

B.J. Tadena's book on buying and selling diamonds is truly an execellent and vital resource for anybody in the market for buying and selling diamonds. I would recommend this book especially for guys looking for engagement rings for their significant other. Tadena gives a very informative and in-depth look at the finer points of picking out diamonds and their good qualities and how to spot imperfections, without boring the reader but giving inciteful knowledge a consumer can understand. I would defintely recommend this book to anyone in the market for diamonds, be it personal pleasure, an investment, or just a special way to say "I Love You"

THE BOOK IS AIMED AT INFORMING THE RIGHT CONSUMER AND DIAMOND BUYER ABOUT NATURAL GEM-QUALITY DIAMONDS.THE AUTHOR 'S INTENTION IS TO EDUCATE THE READERS TO KNOW HOW TO EVALUATE THEIR OWN DIAMONDS.IT ALSO SHOWS THE READER THE PRACTICAL WAYS TO IDENTIFY A FLAWED DIAMOND WHEN BUYING ONE.

He proves that Great Writing still lives; real, from-the-gut writing. It's possible that he might, as the previous reviewer has said, have given us other brilliant "songs" but I for one am quite happy with all he has given. "Call It Sleep" proves that some writers only need one masterpiece to take their place in history. Today we are so greedy - we want our writers to give us book after book - we chew them up and spit them out. I plan to cherish the body of work this man has created. How many Hope Diamonds does a person need before he can be declared rich? And how many books by Henry Roth do we need before we can say that he has enriched our lives?

You have to feel a little bad for Henry Roth. Reading this mostly painful novelization of his tortured teenage years brings to mind the angst of a Bronx-born Stephan Dedalus, only this time Christ on the Cross and the fires of purgatory have been replaced by the tyranny of an overbearing Eastern European yiddisher mamma, a hot-headed ne'er do-well, abusive father, and a feeling of irreconcilable cultural dislocation that makes one better appreciate the plight of the immigrant.

While Roth's "Diving Rock" is undeniably haunted by the ghost of Joyce, its voice is also uniquely "Rothian," -- resonant with the language and poetry that sometimes arises from the disharmonious meshing of cultures - the poetry that is all the best and the worst of this place we call America. I wish Mr. Roth had come unblocked decades ago - who knows what other songs he might have sung?

Not only is this book the ftsss (see above) but it actually has a lot of useful information. I learned a lot about climbing (aid techniques, history, choice of beverage) from reading it. The cartoons are the best part, but many readers will also appreciate the author's well-aimed (but funny) criticism of the elitist, pompous hypocrites who are way too common in the rock climbing world.

I got this book after reading Roper's 'Camp 4.' Warren 'Batso' Harding seemed like such a interesting character and he is. Originally written as a sort of introduction to climbing techniques guide, this book is now a interesting autobiography/history. If you were interested in the Robbins/Harding dichotomy of 'Camp 4,' you'll be interested in Harding's side of the story and its just so damn funny.

I could not stop reading this book once I started. This book took all the little quirks of men and women, along with how our relationships work, and made fun of them all. It trully shows how silly people can act and how those little things that you do, that we make such a big deal about, are really very trivial, but very funny if you sit back and think about it.

I would recomend this book to anyone that likes to laugh.

I have to be honest, I work in the radio business and received a copy of Dr. Rock's Kick Ass Therapy as a promotional item from the author, but I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I immediately bought 2 copies for friends, and will probably buy a couple more as gifts.
This book completely succeeds in making people like Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura seem too full of themselves, and Dr. Rock's brand of therapy not only made me laugh out loud (which is ...hard to do in print), but also makes a ... of a lot of sense. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels the need to laugh their...off, or anyone who needs some pretty good advice on marriage, families, or the workplace. The Wizard of Oz analogy is absolutely brilliant! I hope the word spreads on this little book, so Dr. Rock can keep dispensing "therapy" for all of us ... for years to come.

One of a fantastic series of 4 chuck full of informational volumes dedicated to a particular geographic area. A must for any rock hound weather you travel or just live in the geographic area of the volume. If you can afford it, get all 4 regional volumes. Start with your area. The location information brake down of the minerals to be found in each state counties is so valuable you can't do with out it. Saves time, eliminate barren hunting grounds and it's so detailed as to where and how you find the minerals. This is just one of a fact full accurate guide series you'll want to have in your rock library. Don't settle for an older printing, this one is reprinted and has been updated.

This book looks like it's going to be a GREAT asset in my mineral hunting! I like the way it's set up, by state and then by county within the state. It lists the various sites, tells what has been found at each site and (by a code explained in the front of the book) where in each site the minerals were (in a field, in a mine, in the water, etc.). There are directions of varying degrees to each site. That's the one thing I'd quibble about -- some of the directions aren't that precise. But I understand that some of these sites are private lands, or not completely documented, and he can't come out and say, "Go fifty feet past the blue house, down a ravine, and to your left." In general, the directions seem good enough to get you close, and after that it's up to you.

He lists the rocks and minerals found at each site and gives some information about the quality at most places, including size of crystals found, color (and quality of color), and so on.

My only regret? I don't know if I'll have time to visit each site he has listed! So many rocks, so little time........

Once more John Shirley gives a fascinating, riveting tale about 21st Century Fascism attempting to take hold in the United States and Western Europe, in the waning phases of a conventional war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Dissent and treachery are rife in the leadership of the Christian Fascist Second Alliance (SA) and its primary opposition, the New Resistance (NR). The SA's grip on Western Europe grows tighter as it bids to win control of FirStep, the orbiting space colony. A splendid tale filled with mesmerizing characters that is among the finest works of cyberpunk fiction.

A heavy, dramatic, science fictionish story about facism youth, old age, and propaganda. The second volume in the amazing Song Called Youth trillogy, with even more amazing charaters that the first volume, the stakes are higher, and it's even more crushing. Simply amazing. You should buy every John Shirley book you can find, but it's good if you can find this one.

I loved this book. Kay Ryan's poems are very short, but they pack so much ambiguous meaning in a few lines. They're quite unusual among contemporary poetry: epigrammatic, terse, very accessible, almost light verse, but with shadows flickering all around. I give this book to friends who say they "don't get modern poetry" and that modern poetry makes them feel stupid. If you like Stevie Smith or the short verses of Robert Frost, you'll love Elephant Rocks. Here's a short one, called "Silence":

Silence is not snow./ It cannot grow/ deeper. A thousand years/ of it are thinner/ than paper. so/ we must have it/ all wrong/ when we feel trapped/ like mastodons.

Once every couple of generations, an original thinker manages to refresh an art form that had seemed exhausted. Kay Ryan has done this with poetry. Her poems rhyme--but not in the ways and places you expect. They're metrical--but only according to the author's own quirky standard. They're short, tight, and disciplined--and yet they allow language to sprawl and luxuriate. Best of all, they're musical. Not a single one of them bounces along in a stanzaic quatrain the way a traditional lyric would; instead, these poems are densely packed, with beautiful interior rhymes and echoes chiming away in a miniature space.

One final paradox: Although these poems are not confessional (they do not contain personal remembrances, hurts, or hopes), they gradually reveal an intensely individual mind--a lucid, generous, and humorous one.

In my opinion Kay is the best, most beautiful poet working in the English language today. She has quietly reinvented rhyming poetry according to her own peculiar--but very logical--rules. I consider her best poems to be miraculous.

In admiration,

Henry Rathvon

This book shows the extreme works of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The beautiful pictures within the book make the book. Elton John has worked hard to get where he is at now, and he will soon be better has he grows older. I suggest this book for any Elton John lover!

A crowning achievement, The Complete Lyrics wraps Taupin's lyrics (and the -- thankfully -- lingering haunts of Elton's melodies) with some of the most beautiful art ever to accompany pop and rock writing. The only flaw lies in the editors' failure to check the accuracy of certain lyrics. Nevertheless, The Complete Lyrics reminds fans and critics alike of the indelible mark John and Taupin have made on twentieth-century music.

elvis in the beginning, unlimited photographic access
before there were contraols put in place on his person, alfred gained intimate access to the great elvis and captured truly beautiful images

This is one of the best photo-books I have ever read and I'll tell you why! First, the book contains lots of never before published photo's and they are from a very high quality. We can see Elvis on stage and off stage (e.g. with his family). Second, the story Mr. Wertheimer has written is accurate and special, because he witnessed Elvis' early days himself and was one of a select group to be able to talk to Elvis in private and hear his opinions about his career. Third the book has a really beautiful lay-out and so I can only recommend this book to, not only all the Elvis-fans around the world, but to all people interested in the beginning of pop-culture!