Havana: History and Architecture of a Romantic City

Book Description

Cuba is both an essential part of the history of the Western hemisphere since 1492 and an island with a past and traditions entirely its own. Havana, its legendary capital, bears the traces of every stage of its history. In this volume, author María Luisa Lobo Montalvo presents the architecture and history of Havana - part of which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site - in an accessible and engaging text and specially commissioned color photographs.

Discussion of each phase of the city's development are accompanied by detailed case studies of the period's most significant buildings, which include the architectural history and heritage of each structure as well as comprehensive new and archival documentation, including photographs, prints, paintings, and historical artifacts. Throughout her presentation of the buildings, Lobo discusses the unique expression of design and decorative elements, customs and traditions that characterize the architecture of Havana.

The oldest extant structures in the city are the great forts and fortifications, such as Castillo del Morro and Castillo de la Punta. A great number of houses, from all periods of Havana's history and in all styles, simultaneously offer architectural and cultural history. Finally the great churches and convents - the Church of La Merced and the great baroque Havana Cathedral - and institutional structures - the magnificent Palace of the Captains General - show the public face of Havana, in which every neighborhood and every building proudly proclaims its individual origin.

Customer Reviews:

This is the most beautifully made book I own........2006-01-02

I have a large collection of books on Cuba and this is by far the best. It is the most beautiful book in my library and is masterfully well done. This book also remains politically neutral which is quite an accomplishment. If you are sick of looking for good books on Cuba only to end up getting the slant of the Cuban government even in photography books, you will enjoy this one. This appears to be the culmination of a lifetime of work for Montalvo. If you only intend to buy one book on Cuba, this is the one. If you only intend to buy one book this year, make it this one.

HAVANA HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE OF A ROMANTIC CITY.......2001-03-17

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY A BOOK ON LA HABANA THIS IS IT !!!!!!! IT IS MOST INFORMATIVE AND THE PHOTOS ARE THE BEST. BEING CUBAN I HAVE BOUGHT ALMOST EVERY BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT CUBA AND THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE - THE BEST.

Havana by Maria Luisa Lobo.......2001-02-27

Unlike other reviewers, I have no link with Cuba and I have never been to Havana, but this book made me want to go there. It was given to me as a present. Since then, I have bought two copies for friends. The photographs are as beautiful as the writing. A really special book.

A Delightful Journey.......2000-11-09

Truly a unique and memorable book. I own many books on Cuba, but this book is exceptional. As Maria Luisa's book provides us with in-depth historical and architectural background accompanied by impressive photography, she also delights us with her memories of sound, sight, smell and far away world of her childhood which comes alive for all readers, but specially those who lived in the beautiful island of Cuba. It is a treasure for our Cuban heritage and a beautiful addition to anyone's library. A friend, relative and admirer from Miami, Florida

Elegantly reminiscent of an earlier and more gracious era.......2000-10-29

This is an outstanding stroll down memory lane for so many of us Cubans who remember the old Havana. It is also a book that engenders a certain sadness for those of us that know the squalor and deterioration that now exists in the pearl of the Caribbean.

How exquisitely appropriate it is that the late Maria Luisa Lobo Montalvo, daughter of one of the titans of the Cuban sugar industry, had this dream and that her family helped bring it to fruition.

Average customer rating:
No Experience Required: Sketching and Drawing (No Experience Required!)
Larry Blovits
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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No Experience Required: Sketching & Drawing opens up the artistic experience to everyone, no matter what age or level. Readers will discover drawing's building blocks and then explore basic techniques through Blovits' illustrated exercises.

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And, as part of the No Experience Required series, the book's humorous quotes and cartoons make the instruction light and unintimidating.

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Rock And Roll Classics.......2000-09-30

This is a great picture book of some of the greatest stars of rock. The cover of Mick Jagger with a sword in his teeth is worth the price alone. This book has more pictures of the Stones in the early years, even has pics of Brian Jones. There are also pictures of the Beatles, U2, Alice Cooper, The Who, Elton John, Queen, Dylan and many others. Still almost half the book seems to be pictures of the Stones. I highly recommend it to the true rock fan.

Average customer rating:

David Bailey's Rock and Roll Heroes
Neil (text) Spencer
Manufacturer: Boston: Bulfinch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VL297U

Book Description

The new trainer, Yellow, and Pokemon researcher Bill are traveling the Pokemon world to find the missing Red. Their only clue is Red's Pikachu, but Pikachu can't speak human language! Their steps are dogged by Lorelei of the Elite Four, who corners and traps them in caves of ice.

Customer Reviews:

The ice cage review from Louie Xavier.......2001-08-10

In this book,Yellow and Bill find a wild Seadra and Yellow catches it.But Yellow's happiness didn't last, for Loreli of the Elite Four attacked!! Her Cloyster and Dewgong were both used to make a mega Spike Cannon. The comic was cool even Bill after 2 years.

The ice cage review from Louie Xavier.......2001-08-10

Book Description

"No greater prose stylist ever wrote for an American newspaper. It is always useful and enjoyable to be reminded of this, as Thirty-five Years of Newspaper Work most certainly does... Should be required reading not merely for all newspaper people but for all those who labor in what we now call 'the media.'" -- Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World

In January 1991 the Enoch Pratt Free Library opened the sealed manuscript of H. L. Mencken's "Thirty-five Years of Newspaper Work." Written in 1941-42 and bequeathed to the library under time-lock upon Mencken's death in 1956, it is among the very last of his papers opened to the public. Thirty-five Years of Newspaper Work, a one-volume edition of highlights from the manuscript, vividly pictures the excitement of newspaper life in the heyday of print journalism.

Here Mencken colorfully recalls his years--mostly with the Baltimore Evening Sun--as a reporter and a writer of editorials that always caused a stir among the public and riots of indignation among his enemies. The volume includes important new material on his coverage of presidential candidates from 1912 to 1940 and the 1925 trial of the man he called the "infidel Scopes."

"The book reveals a man who loved food, alcohol, cigars, and good friends... Mencken had so many friends in high places that a few well-placed telephone calls invariably got him to the heart of the matter and revealed more information than any other reporter could solicit." -- Raymond L. Fischer, USA Today

Customer Reviews:

An engaging look at a bygone era.......2005-09-22

"This, after all, is MY story, and so I do not apologize for its pervasive subjectivity."

So said Mencken in the preface, and good for him. While his usual verbal pyrotechnics give way to straight reporting here, you always know exactly where he stood.

The book's focus is Mencken's association with the Baltimore Sunpapers. His Free Lance column established his iconoclastic reputation locally. He helped draft the White Paper ("the doctrine that public officials, under democracy, were predominantly frauds, and hence did not deserve to be taken seriously") that became the basis for the company's success during the Roaring Twenties. He represented the paper in its dispute with Baltimore's Catholic archbishop over a reporter's questionable judgment. Despite outside commitments (he wrote and co-wrote more than 20 books, edited two magazines, and wrote hundreds of articles for other newspapers and magazines during this period), he remained a columnist for decades, and eventually joined the board of directors.

Mencken occasionally had a problem with years; he later placed the 1925 Scopes trial and Bryan's death in 1926, and refers back to the 1928 conventions as having happened in 1924. He finished this account before writing Heathen Days; parts of each book overlap, but, save for several Scopes trial passages and a few other adventures, aren't repeated. Even to his Scopes notes, he added many previously unpublished details.

Interesting details abound. In addition to his job, Mencken remembers peers in his field, oppressive censorship and anti-German discrimination during World War I, acquiring liquor during Prohibition, the establishment of Time magazine ("I was surprised by its immense success, for it was marked at the start, as it still is today, by a pretentious and puerile style of writing and a pervasive ignorance and inaccuracy"), several of his trips abroad, and the transient self-aggrandizing government timeservers who became "as completely forgotten as the politicians of the Polk administration". Then there are the humorous moments, such as his lodging arrangements at the 1920 Republican convention:

"I roomed with Kent, and had two disconcerting surprises the first night. The first came when he got down on his knees beside his bed and began to pray audibly and volubly, clad in an old-fashioned nightshirt. The second followed soon afterward, as he fell asleep. Never in my life have I heard more appalling snoring. All the ordinary sounds were there, but in addition there were others - for example, a series of crescendo gurgles ending in what seemed to be strangulation, with both the performer and me leaping up in our beds. The next night I managed to have Kent bunked with Adams, and so got some sleep."

The book is also a window into a transitional era. Cars and airplanes increased in popularity, but passenger trains remained the main mode of transportation for long distances: some of Mencken's fonder memories occurred on and near trains. Wireless telegraphy evolved into commercial radio. The telephone helped facilitate the reporter's job as it became more common.

Above all, this is Mencken as only Mencken could write; clear, opinionated, and quotable. This thoroughly enjoyable reading experience makes me glad he lived when he did: if his like were to come along again, he'd be barred from today's dumbed-down mainstream media.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Revista Chilena de Literatura, published by Thomson Gale on April 1, 2004. The length of the article is 2290 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Un continente metonimizado en la cabeza: Las noches de Carmen Miranda, de Lucía Guerra *.
Author: Jacobo Sefamí
Publication: Revista Chilena de Literatura (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 64 Page: 125(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

In this companion to his celebrated earlier book, Gettysburg—The Second Day, Harry Pfanz provides the first definitive account of the fighting between the Army of the Potomac and Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill—two of the most critical engagements fought at Gettysburg on 2 and 3 July 1863.

Pfanz provides detailed tactical accounts of each stage of the contest and explores the interactions between—and decisions made by—generals on both sides. In particular, he illuminates Confederate lieutenant general Richard S. Ewell's controversial decision not to attack Cemetery Hill after the initial southern victory on 1 July. Pfanz also explores other salient features of the fighting, including the Confederate occupation of the town of Gettysburg, the skirmishing in the south end of town and in front of the hills, the use of breastworks on Culp's Hill, and the small but decisive fight between Union cavalry and the Stonewall Brigade.

Customer Reviews:

Experience readers only...........2005-12-13

I found Harry W. Pfanz's book to be well written, well researched and highly informative on the events that took in and around Culp's Hill and Cemetary Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg. Its pretty obvious to anyone who read this book that the author have great deal of understanding and knowledge of this part of Gettysburg and he spared no expense in writing about it.

However, its pretty clear that this book was not written for novice reader on the battle. Its highly detail, at time almost tedious in some areas, so much information that someone who may not be familiar with Gettysburg may have some sort of an information overload. I would recommend that anyone who's starting out on this battle, should skip this book until later on.

But on the other hand, if you're a experience Gettysburg reader, then this book is for you. I think its probably the best book written on the subject matter at hand, which was the actions around Culp's Hill and Cemetary Hill.

The book comes well illstrated with black and white paintings and photos of leaders. The maps are very useful and detail but I agreed with one previous reviewer, we could use more maps. The book is thick and but I would recommended it highly to any experenced Gettysburg reader who wishes to know more about this battle.

Detailed Account of the Fighting at Culp's and Cemetery Hill.......2005-05-27

Pfanz' final book in his trilogy of Gettysburg covers a relatively forgotten area of the Battle of Gettysburg. Granted, while I have visited Culp's and Cemetery Hill during each of my Gettysburg visits, I tended to spend most of my time around the second day's fighting (Little Round Top, Devil's Den, Wheatfield, Rose Farm and Woods, Peach Orchard, Trostle Farm) and Pickett's Charge. Pfanz has done the public a great service by providing a book of the actions around Culp's and Cemetery Hill. Indeed, no one probably knows more about Gettysburg than Pfanz.

As usual, he provides sometimes overwhelming details of the actions. His narrative is interesting and I enjoyed reading anecdotes of the main characters (Greene, Steuart, Howard, Meade, Ewell, Early, etc.). Pfanz describes terrain features, battle participants, battle actions, and other details like only he can.

However, there is one sticking point that I have noticed in other Civil War books and have noted in other reviews - there simply are not enough maps. While the maps provided are of excellent detail and contain helpful summaries of the actions represented in the maps, there could have been at least 10 more. I believe there are about 15 maps in the book - there easily could have been 25. I say this because of Pfanz' attention to detail - having more maps to support the battle actions would have made it easier for me to follow the actions. On more than one occasion I was bug-eyed trying to follow what Pfanz was describing!

I am certainly not a military expert (although I am an ex-Air Force Officer) nor an armchair general. I simply enjoy reading more about the heroic actions of soldiers on both sides during a tragic period of our great nation's history.

Complaint aside, I highly recommend Pfanz' title as the definitive account of Culp's and Cemetery Hill. Read, enjoy, and be prepared to follow the large amount of detail - you will need to put on your thinking cap for this and the other Pfanz titles!

A must for the serious student of Gettysburg.......2004-11-29

This is an outstanding and complete account of the events that occured on the Culp's Hill/Cemetery Hill line during the battle. This is not for the passing reader but a must for those serious about the battle. For best use of the book, read it THEN take a day and actually walk the Hills using the book as a reference. Far to many people visit the battlefield and never know what occured here or even visit this part of the field. Few know of Gen. George Greene and his role but all who read about the battle know of Col.'s Vincent and Chamberlain. Even fewer know that at one point a Confederate brigade was only a few hundred yards from the Baltimore Pike and for an hour the unguarded Federal Artillery Reserve. W. Culp couldn't have died on Culp's Hill if Co. B, 2nd VA was across Rock Creek on the skirmish line with elements of the 1st NC. Careful study of this material and the times will bring out many not so well known facts that occured on this "forgotten" part of the field and prove other myths wrong.

Perhaps Pfanz's best.......2004-04-08

Harry Pfanz likely knows Gettysburg better than any man around. Head historian for the NPS for many years, he has literally made Gettysburg his life's work. His books on the first and second days of the battle are considered must haves but this book on Culps Hill could be his best.

The battle for Culps Hill and especially East Cemetery Hill are today the most forgotten part of Gettysburg. Look around and you will find many books pertaining to Pickett's Charge, Devil's Den and Little Round Top but how many aimed at Culps Hill? Not many. Even at the park the auto tour has Culps Hill simply as an extra add towards the end of the tour.

With this book Pfanz takes a hard look at this forgotten area. We're use to the names of Chamberlain, Hancock and Pickett but here we hear names like Greene, Avery, Geary and Williams.

The advantage of this book is it's not aimed at the casual reader but the serious Civil War buff. The information included is extensive and detailed. While well written, it is not a piece of fluff or a light read. If you seriously want to find out what happened on Culps Hill this is the book for you.

A splendid historical book.......2004-01-07

My master's thesis was on George Sears Greene and his defense of Culps Hill, so as one can guess this was a very valuable source for information.
Pfanz's book is a continuation of his studies on the various areas of the Gettysburg battlefield. Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill are not considered "hotspots" of the national park and therefore have not received the same attention as "The Angle" and Little Round Top. Pfanz's book has and will change that outlook.
Pfanz's look at Culps Hill was both well researched and well written. He argues that the battle itself was determined on its flanks, both on Little Round Top and Culps Hill. The fighting on Culps Hill was not as destructive as the other areas of the battlefield, mostly due to the relatively low casualty figures from the breastworks constructed earlier on July 2nd, but its importance in the overall scheme has been unfairly overlooked.
This book boasts an impressive bibliography that includes various primary accounts that were largely unheard of until this book's publication. In short, it opened my eyes to the real story of Gettysburg.

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Gettysburg Culps Hill & Cemetery Hill
Harry W Pfanz
Manufacturer: UNIV OF NC+PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QBDH8K

Average customer rating:

Gettysburg: Culp's Hill & Cemetery Hill
Harry Pfanz
Manufacturer: U. of North Carolina
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZ5VFG

Gettysburg - Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill (Civil War America Ser.)

Average customer rating:

Gettysburg - Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill (Civil War America Ser.)
Harry W. Pfanz
Manufacturer: University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBROHE

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GETTYSBURG: CULP'S HILL AND CEMETERY HILL.
Harry W. Pfanz
Manufacturer: UNC Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O90Y2G

Book Description

In 1969, John McCarthy and Pat Hayes uncovered a problem that has haunted the field of artificial intelligence ever since--the frame problem. The problem arises when logic is used to describe the effects of actions and events. Put simply, it is the problem of representing what remains unchanged as a result of an action or event. Many researchers in artificial intelligence believe that its solution is vital to the realization of the field's goals.

Solving the Frame Problem presents the various approaches to the frame problem that have been proposed over the years. The author presents the material chronologically--as an unfolding story rather than as a body of theory to be learned by rote. There are lessons to be learned even from the dead ends researchers have pursued, for they deepen our understanding of the issues surrounding the frame problem. In the book's concluding chapters, the author offers his own work on event calculus, which he claims comes very close to a complete solution to the frame problem.

Artificial Intelligence series

Customer Reviews:

A Classic!.......2000-09-22

I was a student of Murray when I was doing my master's in AI. He taught us a course titled 'Learning and Cognitive Robotics', which covered a classical 'logic-based' approach to robotics, starting from the 'Shakey' days to Event Calculus.

Much of the lecture notes we covered in the said course went into the book, which to my mind provides a comprehensive coverage to logic-based AI, its challenges and possible directions.

In classical AI, we assume that 'correct reasoning on correct representation' preceedes intelligence. The book starts from this 'first principle' and takes one through a wonderful journey, leading to an almost total solution to the Frame Problem.

In my mind, the book is not for naive readers. One has to have a fairy good understanding of relevant Computer Science/AI concepts to comprehend the material.

A Classic!.......2000-09-22

Much of the lecture notes from the said course went into the book, which to my mind provides a comprehensive coverage to logic-based AI, its challenges and possible directions.

In my mind, the book is not for naive readers. One has to have a fairly good understanding of relevant Computer Science/AI concepts to comprehend the material.

For serious readers of AI, I would like to recommend another fantastic piece of work: Agent_Oriented Programming: From Prolog to Guarded Definite Clauses by Ringwood and Huntbach.

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