Product Description
Irresistible ideas in a uniquely formatted book. Lavishly illustrated with 200 photos, including 32 full-color photos. Filled with ideas for entryways, patios, driveways, side yards, multipurpose areas, pools, walkways, and much more. Directions for how to design your landscape from ideas to working drawings to planting and maintenance. Charts of plant materials for every area of Florida, condition of soil and sunlight, and purpose.
Customer Reviews:
Great Landscaping Ideas; Plant Ideas Need Refinement.......2002-01-05
This book contains many inspiring examples, as well as do-it-yourself instructions, for designing landscapes in Florida. The landscape designs that are presented, photographed and discussed in this book provide nearly everything a Floridian needs to design and plant a landscape of their liking.
However, the treatment of native plants is very limited, and discussion of non-native nuisance plants is almost non-existent. We live in a state with so many beautiful, low-maintenance natives, as well as such an abundance of non-native nuisance plants, that I could not help but be disappointed by this aspect of the book. The one list of native landscape plants is extremely short and includes a few plants that are not native. Also, some of the recommended non-native plants in this book, most notably punk (melaleuca), are plants that are forbidden in several counties due to their tendency to escape cultivation and invade natural areas, crowding out the native plants that our wildlife need to survive.
Use this book to design your landscape and to get a general idea of which plants will do well in Florida. However, when selecting your plants, I recommend purchasing a good book on landscaping with native plants, such as Rufino Osorio's or Bob Haehle's, which are also available on amazon.com. This will insure that your landscape will not only look beautiful but will also require little water, pesticides or fertilizers and will be compatible with our wonderful natural environment.
Book Description
Designed to help the underwater photographer make a smooth transition to digital imaging, this book discusses how to digitally refine, correct, and enhance underwater photographs. It details the equipment necessary for digital imaging for underwater photography, and includes a discussion on the essentials of scanning. There is extensive information on Adobe Photoshop, and how it can be used to edit underwater pictures. This book also investigates the ethics of photo manipulation and discusses the future of underwater photography.
Customer Reviews:
shoot underwater.......2007-03-26
The book seems to cover some of the basics. It does an ok job of covering the shoot part and and ok job of the editing part. If you are looking for details, I would consider a different book or two books...one specifically about getting the shot and one specifically about fixing the shot.
Good Start.......2006-03-13
This book is a good start for someone considering underwater photography with a digital camera. It touches on the important aspects of the subject and gives a very basic overview of what is involved. For the serious photographer, I would recommend the authpr's professional guide on the same subject. It has more detail and better images.
I should have read the reviews.......2004-08-25
It is a complete waste of money, like it sais in one of the reviews. Should have listened!!! This book is completely useless, the authors assume that you already know all about digital imaging and the book is just a review. You won't learn. Don't buy it.
Not what I was expecting at all.......2004-07-24
When I bought this book, I thought I would learn some ways to enhance my pictures with detailed examples. I was really disappointed when I saw that it wasn't the case. They show what they did with what tool but without any detailed explanations. "Before-and-after-color-balance" wasn't what I had in mind when I bought this book. I didn't need to pay 50$ to know that if I go through photoshop menus and do some tests, I would learn it sooner or later. I really think it should be mentionned that this book is intended for people that have beginner skills with computers. 30% of the book explains how to use a scanner...
The only way I would recommend this book is if you don't know much about computers and have no clue what photoshop is and want to know where the menu for Hue/Saturation is. Otherwise, don't waste any penny on that, instead, go to specialized website, you'll find tutorials that are a 100 times better than this book with real detailed examples.
A complete waste of money.......2004-07-21
I found this book to be a very poor educational source for digital photography and image editing. As a photographer who is switching from slide film to digital, I have read three other books on digital photography, including Peter Burian's "Mastering Digital Photography and Imaging". Burian's book (and the other two books) blow's the Drafahl's book out of the water(no pun intended). It's like comparing a Lexus to a Hugo. The Drafahl book is vague, poorly written, and provides minimal imformation on various topics. What's with the large print and skipped lines--it's as though they wanted to increase the number of pages to make it look like your getting more for your money. I have wasted my money to finance one of their dive trips.
Average customer rating:
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The Underwater Photographer's Handbook
Peter Rowlands
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0442277164 |
Book Description
Volume 3 of the series, subtitled Aplicacion y Practica (Application & Practice), contains the following chapters - Chapter 1: Drawing Interiors and Exteriors; Chapter 2: How to Draw Machines; Chapter 3: How to Draw Nature and Animals; and Chapter 4: How to create a Short Manga Story (this includes character design and story theme).
Average customer rating:
- Every manager needs this book!
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The Executive's Guide to Privacy Management eBook
Michael Erbschloe
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
MIS
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Leadership
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Privacy
| Business & Culture
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Manager's Guides to Computing
| Business & Culture
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Information Systems
| Software Engineering
| Computer Science
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
| Applied
| Chaos & Systems
| Geometry & Topology
| Mathematical Analysis
| Mathematical Physics
| Number Systems
| Pure Mathematics
| Transformations
| Trigonometry
ASIN: 0071382364 |
Download Description
A McGRAW-HILL EBOOK EXCLUSIVE! This original ebook is for forward-thinking ebusiness decision-makers who recognize that the importance of privacy on the Web is a constant issue in the world of ecommerce. It assists executives as they navigate potential hurdles in their quests for effective privacy policies.
Customer Reviews:
Every manager needs this book!.......2001-11-29
If you are facing privacy management issues in your company you need to get this easy to read guide. It takes managers through the process of developing and implementing a privacy policy and the procedures necessary to enforce that policy.
This guide provides managers with the insight to direct their privacy management teams and avoid the cost which can result from screwing up PRIVACY management!
Average customer rating:
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New Hampshire Real Estate Basics
Dearborn Real Estate
Manufacturer: Dearborn Real Estate Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Real Estate
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Real Estate
| Practical Guides
| Law
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 079315832X |
Book Description
The Baby Boat resonates with the joys and sorrows adoptive parents face. With dry humor and a quietly beautiful literary style, Patty Dann recounts the hurdles she and her husband encountered at every step during their journey to adopt a baby, from the endless waiting, through the heartbreaking loss of the infant girl who might have been their adoptive daughter, to their flight home from Lithuania with their son in their arms. As much an affecting love story as the poignant tale of one couples struggle to adopt, The Baby Boat captures the complex and subtle emotions of an adoptive parents experience.
Amazon.com
Patty Dann's The Baby Boat is a poignant, evocative account of one couple's journey to adoptive parenthood. Dann's husband, Willem, is a Dutch citizen given to enchantingly incorrect speech patterns (he calls pinecones "pineapples," and, in a gesture that speaks to the depth and respect in their relationship, Dann never corrects him). "On our first date, my husband asked in his charming Dutch accent, 'Do you want to get children?'" Dann writes, explaining that Willem means "have" children. Yet Willem is inadvertently correct: after battling unsuccessful infertility treatments, the couple begins trying to adopt. Written in journal format, The Baby Boat chronicles the medical treatments, long episodes of waiting and delay, heartbreak when their promised daughter dies unseen, and the trip she and Willem make to Lithuania to claim their seven-month-old son. Dann's spare, understated writing style well suits this journey from emptiness to anticipation to sorrow to joy, as she and Willem finally "get" a baby. --Ericka Lutz
Customer Reviews:
The Baby Boat.......2000-02-29
I read this book and fell in love with it. Couldn't put it down! It is a wonderful book for parents who are in the process of international adoption and for their families who want to know and feel what they are going thru.
a funny and poignant happy-ending story of adoption.......1999-04-29
No wonder Patty Dann's memoir of adoption reads like a novel--she's a novelist! She wrote that movie MERMAIDS that Cher and Winona Ryder and Cristina Ricci were in. You can't put The Baby Boat down; you root for the characters; and you're choked up in some passages, smiling through others. The Baby Boat is a pleasure to read, and it also shows that courage and patience can pay off. Their new baby is a lucky little person, and I've given this book to other couples who are beginning the odyssey of adoption.
An insightful and positive view for a change!.......1998-12-26
This book provides an entertaining and informative look inside the world of international adoption. Written in journal format, it gives the reader insight which could only be obtained through a personal memoir. There are moments of great hilarity as well as great sadness. But the story has a happy ending, and gives a positive view overall of the adoption process. With so much negative press about adoption in general, this was a breath of fresh air!
Book Description
Saladin was one of the best-known figures of the Middle Ages. The West accepted him as a hero; Islam was indebted to him for the recovery of Jerusalem. In this book Lyons and Jackson make use of hitherto neglected Arabic sources, including unpublished manuscript material - notably the correspondence, both private and official, of Saladin’s own court. Such letters contain fresh information on the battles and diplomatic campaigns that accompanied Saladin’s efforts to be accepted by his contemporaries as their leader in the Holy War.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best biographies of Saladin.......2007-10-09
This is definitely not a book for someone who has just started learning about the Crusades: from the very first page it assumes the reader has a good knowledge about events, places and names; if you don't, you will miss a lot since the writers are not concerned about explaining who's who, in particular among the Franks. It's not a book for casual reading as well: I read it as serious studying, making notes, underlining important passages and occasionally re-reading a whole page just to make sure I got it right. This is a book for a reader who wants to learn the details that made Saladin one of the most preeminent figures in the history of the Crusades. Half of it describes his ability unifying Islam (basically, Egypt and Syria) by creating alliances or, when they failed, fighting other Muslim leaders with the final goal of defeating the Christians. The book's second half describes his campaigns against the Franks which ultimately led to the fall of Jerusalem and the conquest of most of Christian cities in the Holy Land. The authors, Lyons & Jackson, based their research on tens (if not hundreds) of letters written by Saladin himself and his contemporaries for a period over 40 years detailing the political game that made him a victorious leader. The authors also refer to the writings of the most important Western commentators of that time (William of Tyre, in particular), but this is definitely a book written from a Muslim perspective. The authors do a very good and impartial job pointing out Saladin's successes and failures through the Arab eyes and, when there's conflict between several sources, they express their own opinion based on a reasonable analysis of the facts. Saladin was unquestionably a great leader but as all leaders in History, he had his weaknesses, fears and moments of indecision. The book doesn't try to create a superhero but shows a man who had the ability to patiently gather tens of local Arab leaders with their own personal agendas, showing generosity when possible and ruthlessness when necessary. It is this quality that perhaps made several experts to consider Lyons & Jackson's work probably the best biography of him.
Good solid work.......2005-05-22
This is, to say the least, not a book for the lay person to pick for a casual read. The work is thorough and detailed, starting from beginning to end to how Saladin came into and held onto power.
I knew going into this biography that it would be difficult reading the Arabic names and places, so nothing new there. I must say that I was impressed with how the point of view remained with Saladin the whole time, using Arabic sources instead of western (other than William of Tyre), and didn't waiver when Saladin came into contact with Richard the Lionhearted and so on. All to often authors tend to naturally revert to the western point of view rather than understand Saladin for what he was, a Muslim, which helps us better understand who he was.
My only complaint would have to be the same as the other reviewer, that the maps were not included during the reading (it would have been great to have the map at the beginning of each chapter for the time being discussed) and a list of the whose who and their relation to Saladin. Lyons would mention an Arabic ruler and I couldn't place where he ruled and why he threatened Saladin because of how the names are so alien, which causes the western reader to not easily remember.
Other than those two things, I think this is a great read for the amateur as well as the professional historian, adding a valuable source of information, if not being the best, to what we know of Saladin. Push past the dry, scholarly feel of the book and you have a wealth of information.
Saladin or Richard?.......2001-06-12
In Malcomb Cameron Lyons and D.E.P. Jackson's "Saladin: Politics of the Holy War", the fact that Saladin was one of the greatest-known figures of the Middle Ages is proved very easily. This is true, various events proving it. An example of one was his attempt to unify the Muslims. In addition to that, he was a great military leader and at the same time a wonderful politician. The authors make great use of the many documents and letters collected of the Arabs. The sources are used very often and are quoted from. I think the Arabic sources were one of the greatest features of this book, even though they may have been confusing at times. Saladin is often compared with Richard the Lionhearted, an equally powerful ruler from the Christian lands. Was Saladin stronger than he was just because he held Jerusalem against him?
After the Turkish invasions, the Arabs were unorganized and didn't have a common goal or leader. Saladin unified them and was able to achieve a common goal, the Jihad, equivalent to a Christian Crusade. The goal was to gain control of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was important to them because it was their third holiest city, after Makkah and Medina. Saladin's leadership ability lies in the battlefield as in politics.
In order to restore order to the Muslims, Saladin had to be very persuasive. He used politics in order to swing people to his side and also to develop a stronger army. Saladin was able to conquer those that did not follow, a tactic that the Persian Empire also used.
One of the greatest features of this book was the various references to actual historical documents. One of my favorite ones was an excerpt from a letter that Saladin wrote to his father after witnessing his first battlefield, "This letter contains the first good news given to the master of the prey seized by his cub, who stood in his father's place and struck with his sword." (Page 250) This letter showed the significance of Saladin's first battle, he is coming to leadership. It is as if Saladin is now replacing his father, assuming a role of leadership.
It is inevitable that Saladin would be compared to Richard the Lionhearted of England, since he was Saladin's greatest opponent. Personally, I don't think that Saladin was as strong a ruler as Richard. Richard traveled to Jerusalem (maybe its only a rumor, but it is said that he only came within sight of the city); this is amazing because he was able to penetrate all of the defenses along the way. Saladin had a number of advantages: he had the element of surprise, he could ambush Saladin's troops as he wished among their journey; and Saladin was also fighting a home battle - he knew the land in which he was fighting and so he could take advantage of the locations for his troops to assemble (From reading about Saladin, had the situation been reversed with Richard defending against Saladin, I don't think that Saladin would be so successful). Saladin seemed to be more of a defender than an attacker.
One of the criticisms that I have of this book is reading. This book is more suitable for a senior in high school, rather than a freshman. I often found it very difficult to follow. The text seemed a little strange, there were many Arabic words and names and accent marks throughout almost every page of the book. This problem is very trivial when compared with the overall knowledge gained from reading in context. In summary, "Saladin: Politics of the Holy War" is a very tough read meant and for students who have enough time to read it in full context.
There wasn't enough politics of the Holy War, or Jihad. I don't think that the author spent time upon the wheeling and dealing that Saladin had to do in order to achieve unity in the Muslim army and assume a leadership position. Instead, there were too many details on every battle. Text could have been used explaining other points.
In conclusion, "Saladin: Politics of the Holy War" is a read only advised for skilled students who have the time as well as the determination to thoroughly read this book in context. Only at that point will he or she be able to fully understand the significance of Saladin's life as a military leader and politician.
Fantastically solid work undermined by shoddy publishing........2001-02-22
I picked up this book a while ago and only got around to reading it recently. It is an extremely serious piece of scholarship, well-researched and thoroughly documented; this is no glossed-over wannabe history treatise.
I could detail its strengths and weaknesses but I believe the previous reader has provided a fairly thorough analysis. It is no easy read and is made, in my opinion, made tortuously difficult by two unnecessary things: (1) The publisher's stubborn insistence on not providing comprehensible maps that illustrate the campaigns being discussed throughout the book and (2) the disregard of the difficulty that Arab names pose for most Western readers.
I hope first that there will be future editions of this book for it is a very worthy effort and, I think, probably the final say on the topic for years to come. Secondly, I hope those editions will be more user-friendly -- including clear maps (showing rivers, marshes, mountain ranges, deserts, combatant positions, itineraries, etc., etc.) throughout the chapters, providing an Appendix detailing who the different players are, family trees for the major players and, perhaps, more sprinklings through the text as to who people are.
GOOD DETAILS BUT A FUZZY BIG PICTURE.......2000-04-24
This is a somewhat difficult book to work through, one that at times adapts a very scholastic tone. As an Anglo-American I found all of the Arab placenames and surnames a bit challenging, but that was expected. So I am certainly not criticizing the book on that count; you should just be aware that if you don't have extensive previous knowledge of the Arab world, this book will demand more concentration and time of you than most biographies. Now three points of criticism: First, I would like to see more background information as to the history of the crusades, and how Jerusalem and other territories in the Holy Land came to be under European rule. Even a few paragraphs would have been appreciated. Second, the writing style is a bit dull. I don't expect prose worthy of Thomas Wolfe from a biographer, but in some sections I felt like I was reading a doctoral thesis. Third, Lyons and Jackson wait until the very end to comment at length on the qualities and motivations of Saladin, and on his importance in the grand scheme of things. I think that such commentary should be injected more than they are throughout the book, as critical events unfold. And then the final analysis should wrap up on themes already developed. The greatest strength of this book is that it is written truly from an Arab perspective. The European viewpoint is represented, but I always felt like I was observing from within Egypt, or Syria, or Palestine. I did not feel like an envoy from the Vatican - on the outside looking in. This is an accomplishment for the authors. What I found most interesting about Saladin's life was the paradox he faced: to consolidate power within the Arab world he needed the legitimacy of being a true believer, fighting the infidels in the holy war. However, to effectively fight the Europeans he needed soldiers from throughout the Arab world. So you see him in the book alternating his attention between his external battles and his internal ones. Lyons and Jackson do a good job in providing the details of these struggles - the dates, the places, the people, the numbers. But somehow they don't effectively convey the big picture; they don't explain the significance of the events as they unfold. The authors might argue that it is best for the reader to decipher that for his or herself. But I think the best historical books offer an opinion, with which the reader is then free to agree, or disagree.
Average customer rating:
- Have You Ever Wondered About Different Cultures?
- Interesting, but not to the Magazine standard
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Peoples and Places of the Past: The National Geographic Illustrated Cultural Atlas of the Ancient World
National Geographic Society (U. S.)
Manufacturer: Natl Geographic Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Civilization & Culture
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Atlases & Maps
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
| Atlases
| Canada
| Historical
| Maps
| United States
| World
Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
| Beaches
| Business Travel
| Cruises
| Essays & Travelogues
| Food & Lodging
| Guidebooks
| Pictorial
| Reference
| Spas
| Tips
| Tourist Destinations & Museums
| Travel Writing
General
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 087044462X |
Customer Reviews:
Have You Ever Wondered About Different Cultures?.......2003-11-21
Have you ever wondered about the innumerable people representing diverse cultures that populate the world? What constitutes a people? What are the elements necessary to coalesce in order to produce an ethnic group? Where do they live? What languages do they speak? How did they originate? What are their customs?
Look no further, National Geographic's coffee-table reference book, Peoples Of The World, provides us with transportation to 150 countries around the world where we meet some of the world's most compelling ethnic groups.
No doubt, this is a daunting task and as mentioned in the introductory Editor's Note, "Peoples of the World is unquestionably an ambitious topic for a single book."
Soliciting the advice of no less than fifteen contributors, who are experts in the fields of anthropology and demography, this brilliant reference text, quenches our thirst. At the same time, and as a coda to the book, the reader is encouraged to investigate the topic further and is provided with an extensive list of five thousand ethnic groups scattered around the globe.
The tome divides itself into nine chapters each of which concentrates on a particular geographical area of the globe that have a unique broad cultural cohesion. These are: Asia, Oceania, South America, Mesoamerica & The Caribbean, North America, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa & The Middle East and the Arctic. Within these nine divisions we are introduced to more than 150 peoples that constitute part of the myriad of cultures inhabiting the earth.
To name a few, we discover the descendants of escaped African slaves, the Saramaka, who live in the deep forests of Suriname; the Nukak of eastern Colombia, who not until 1988 have had any sustained contact with Western civilization; the Tapirapé of central Brazil, who until the early 20th century had virtually no contact with Europeans; the Yanomami, the most numerous of the indigenous groups of South America; the Inuit that encompass the Greenlanders, the Polar Eskimos, the Caribou, Iglukik, Netsilik and Copper Eskimos.
We are also fortunate in being provided with a wealth of exquisite colour photos depicting the many characters and scenes that form part of this cultural diversity. These photos illustrate the desire expressed by humans to relish their distinctiveness and their ability to express themselves as part of a particular group.
Wade Davis, Explorer-in-Residence of the National Geographic Society concludes the book in his thought provoking observation that by destroying a people's way of life or ethnocide we will all become poorer.
As Davis points us, Margaret Mead before her death, expressed her concern about the diminishing cultural diversity and stated: "as we drift toward a more homogeneous world, all of human potential might be reduced to a single modality, a blandly amorphous generic culture, a monochromatic world of monotony. Her greatest fear was the possibility that we might awake one day as from a dream, having forgotten there had ever been any other options."
This review first appeared on reviewer's own site:
Interesting, but not to the Magazine standard.......2000-08-02
This big format book failed short of my expectations. It contains varied information but lacks the quality of the Magazine photography. It covers new and ancient world alike, but I found information rather superficial and detail sometimes obscures the big picture.
When compared to other books, like The Times Atlas of Archaeology , it comes second place. Book names are not alike, but scope of coverage is similar.
Maybe young readers will like it best than adult ones. Drawing and pictures are big in size.
I'm not saying its a bad book, but that it couldn't retain my attention. After going through it, seldom if ever I have come back to look for more information.
Customer Reviews:
Petite Book.......2007-01-13
Good photographs, very small & portable. For more detail, look at Birds of Michigan or author Stan Tekiela.
Books:
- Lofts & Apartments/Lofts Et Appartements/Lofts & Apartments
- Mario Botta: Light and Gravity: Architecture 1993-2003
- Marion Mahony Griffin: Drawing the Form of Nature
- Nature's Museums: Victorian Science and the Architecture of Display
- Out of Ground Zero: Case Studies in Urban Reinvention (Architecture)
- Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges: A Complete Guide
- Private Places: Creating a Peaceful Space of Your Own at Home
- Rancho Deluxe: Rustic Dreams and Real Western Living
- Romanesque Art (Selected Papers, 1)
- Sanctuaries: The Last Works of John Hejduk
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