Uncommon Structures, Unconventional Builders

Book Description

They are the most remarkable constructions in human history--from the Tower of Babel to China's Great Wall to Machu Picchu--but how and why did they come to be? Here are the answers, entertainingly explained.

UNCOMMON STRUCTURES contains the most amazing, mind-boggling constructions in history. This big, beautiful book features seventeen lively and detailed chronicles of our most ambitious and legendary building projects--the visions and ambition with which they were launched, and the many twists and turns they took as they came into being. Wide-ranging in scope, encompassing a myriad of cultures, time periods and building materials, this lush volume will fascinate general readers, but is substantive enough to hold the interest of architects and designers. Each section is enhanced by a full range of illustrations: color and black-and-white photography, historic drawings and plans, fine art, line art,--the gamut. These are stories of human (and in one case, animal) ingenuity and vision that have inspired and enlighten men and women through the ages.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book AND Great Gift...........2004-04-19

"Uncommon Structures, Unconventional Builders" by Alan Van Dine is an exceptional book and is certainly worth it's price. It is in a large "coffee table" size and format that makes it great for a gift - not only to those interested in architecture, but DEFINITELY someone interested in history, or who is a builder, or anyone who has an inquisitive mind. It is NOT simply for men as I was very intrigued with the book.

Some of the structures featured include: Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China, the Winchester House (that has SO many additions and secret passageways), Mesa Verde, Petra, the Tower of Babel, Igloos and many more.

It is an excellent book that will immerse any reader into the marvels of these structures, of which many would be considered to be "the new 7 Wonders of the World."

Interesting.......2002-08-20

I bought this as a present for someone interested in architecture, but proceeded to read it before it was wrapped! This book featured interesting buildings with plenty of trivia to later impress your friends. An interesting book, full of pictures and drawings. Perhaps not the most academic book on the subject, but fun. For a laywoman like myself, enjoyable.

Uncommon Structures, Unconventional Builders

Average customer rating:

Uncommon Structures, Unconventional Builders

Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H5WZX8

Customer Reviews:

useful for begginers and pros.......2000-06-25

I've been reading lapidary books and journals for years and you really can teach an old dog new tricks. If you're just starting out in the rock hound or novice lapidary world this is an excellent source book containing valuable information on just about any subject you can think of. One thing in particular that I found to be one of the books best qualities is that it's not only an excellent book for source but also an excellent book for resources. It is not in the least boring and you won't want to put it down. It is one of those books that will become worn and torn with age because you'll refer to it frequently over the years to come. My copy is fairly new and already showing signs of wear. Not because of the quality of the material,it is bound very well and the paper on which it's printed is of a high quality which is good. If it was printed on cheap stuff you'd have to buy a new one every six months. For the professional and experienced rock hound a lapidary artist it is also an invaluable source of information and resources. Well worth the money where ever you purchase it and at what ever price you pay for it. It is usually backordred, I had to order my copy, so buy it now while you can. Amazon.coms price is about 35% less than I paid for it and I'm ashamed of myself that I didn't look for it here first, but I plan to buy a couple as gifts anyway. I can't say enough good about this volume. It's well put together, consise, and altogether an enjoyable experience-time and again. The content of the book isn't just the same old stuff you read time and again but instead, the latest technologies used in the field of lapidary with just a hint of the old. There are some tried and true methods of doing things but presented with new twists and ideas that, at least on my part, never occured to me or my longtime lapidary companions. The content is consise and flows extremely smoothly from one page to the next. A thoroughly enjoyable experience for years to come. Thank you - Gordon Lockerd.

Book Description

WINNER OF THE 2001 KRASZNA-KRAUSZ PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK AWARD (Technical Photography category)

The only definitive book to fully encompass the use of photography and imaging as tools in science, technology and medicine. It describes in one single volume the basic theory, techniques, materials, special equipment and applications for a wide variety of uses of photography, including: close up photography and photomacrography to spectral recording, surveillance systems, radiography and micro-imaging.

This extensively illustrated photography 'bible' contains all the information you need, whether you are a scientist wishing to use photography for a specialist application, a professional needing to extend technical expertise, or a student wanting to broaden your knowledge of the applications of photography.

The contents are arranged in three sections:
· General Section, detailing the elements of the image capture process
· Major Applications, describing the major applications of imaging
· Specialist Applications, presenting an eclectic selection of more specialised but increasingly important applications

Each subject is introduced with an outline of its development and contemporary importance, followed by explanations of essential theory and an overview of techniques and equipment. Mathematics is only used where necessary. Numerous applications and case studies are described. Comprehensive bibliographies and references are provided for further study.

Ensure you are aware of all the very latest scientific applications
Comprehensive wealth of scientific information in one single volume so it is all to hand when needed
Learn from Sidney Ray's complete coverage and interpretation of scientific and applied photography

Customer Reviews:

Scientific Photography and Applied Imaging.......2001-03-08

Knowing Sidney Ray's writings for Applied Photographic Opitcs (second edition) and from his/her (?) introductory overview textbooks, I was certainly positively inclined towards the author. The book is well structured with historical introduction and a chapter on human perception at the beginning. The technical chapters on lighting, optics, processing, and specialty applications are up to date and fully referenced (which is a rarety among the usual crop of photographic how-to books). Those interested in more recent technological devlopments (lasers, UV, far IR, spectrophotometry, ...) will find a treasure chest in this volume.

The only significant let-down was the chapter 11 on image processing and analysis (including Photoshop). The chapters concentrates on simplistic examples of gadget filters (gaussian blur etc.) that are not employed in science (at least as far as I have ever experienced it). Explaing the use of alpha channels to improve color contrast in B&W print images would have been much more helpful. The omission of NIH image is yet another inexplicable phenomenon, as it is THE premier platform for quantitative image analysis.

Customer Reviews:

Very Dangerous.......1999-10-12

Oh, western man! When will you learn your lesson? People vehemntly guard their private property. One would think that after looking at my continent, and looking and the failed socialist experiments of the twentieth century, Americans would learn the lesson of the importance of private ownership. If elimination of private property is what you Americans want, then you too will be condemned to poverty and death.

a good example.......1999-07-09

This book passed a basic test of polemical writing: it inspired me to go out and do what the author strongly suggested the reader do. It was the middle of the night, but I put the book down and went out for a walk in the woods on someone else's property (don't worry they have plenty) so that I could look at the moon and stars and sparkling landscape from a high place.

I learned an awful lot about the history of private property from this book. Because the concept of private property is so central to American identity I was left wondering why someone had not presented an environmental history from this perspective before. It is has given me a lens through which to read other books of environmental history.

Mitchell is honest about where he stands in the debate about who should be in charge about what should be done with private land. He is an ecocentrist, pure and simple, and doesn't trust individual landowners to "do the right thing" by their land. He allows that one of the chief antagonists in this book, a man named Morrison, actually does take good care of his land, but he makes it clear that he does not want to leave such a precious thing as the land to the chance that the owner may or may not take care of it. In fact, much of the book is an attempt to show us how absurd and artificial the idea of "land ownership" really is.

One of the threads in the story is Mitchell's recounting of an attempt at group ownership ("co-ownership") of land. The community that is finally realized falls short of its ideal, but he insists that it is far better than the default condition in modern America. Decide for yourself whether it is a pyrrhic victory.

The main thread of the book is the tribal history of his favorite plot of land in Littleton, Mass. As usual, it is a pretty sad story.

A thorough and entertaining account of a complex subject........1999-01-01

John Hanson Mitchell is a graceful stylist who has been hammering away at a host of environmental subjects from the perspective of a single square mile. Trespassing may be his best book yet, and only slightly less ambitious than his monumental tour de force, Ceremonial Time. He takes the theme of ownership of land, one of the most potentially boring subjects around, and turns it into a great nonstop read by focussing on a single five hundred acre tract of land through some three hundred years of history. Some of the characters in this book are right out of Dickens, some of the descriptions of the landscape are out of Conrad, and, as far as I can tell, he's got a great understanding of the whole process of the creation of the American laws that govern the use of land. But you don't have to be interested in environment or legal history to enjoy this. Just read it for the characters. I wept for Sarah Dublet at the end of this book.

Tresspassing is fine but I wish Mitchell would move on........1998-12-07

John Hanson Mitchell has been ranting on about his beloved square mile of earth, Scratch Flat, for longer than anyone would care to know. His latest book, Trespassing, An Inquiry into the Private Ownership of Land, offers no release from this obsession. Granted, the manner in which we in North America came to actually own land (instead of have use of it, as in England) is, or could be, an interesting subject. But, Mitchell takes us into yet another exploration of the common ground of Scratch Flat, specifically a five hundred acre tract where there used to be an Indian village. Those who know Mitchell's work will find some familiar characters here, namely the 17th century Pawtucket Indian, Sarah Doublet, the wife of Tom Doublet, who Mitchell wrote about in Ceremonial Time, and again in Walking Towards Walden. Enough already. Why should we care what happened to American Indians back in the 17th century. For that matter why should we care about a square mile tract of land, that by Mitchell's own admission is essentially "nowhere and everywhere". We know what he's trying to get at here. Scratch Flat "is and was the world", as he writes in Ceremonial Time, but he's got an odd obsession with time, the preservation of doomed farmland, and especially the fate of the American Indian, a.k.a. "Native" Americans.

Trespassing is an attempt to set the historical record straight. According to Mitchell, no one actually "owned" America until the Europeans set foot on these shores. Indians used the land, but they did not have the concept (yet) of ownership. They do now, as Mitchell is willing to point out. In fact his treatment of the modern dilemma of land rich capitalist Indians and the use of casinos to make money is one of the best parts of his book. But it's a departure. Mostly he gives us a detailed accounting of the way of life of his heroine, Sara Doublet, and current, modern day efforts of local folks to save land --- not just on Scratch Flat but elsewhere too. As with his other books, Trespassing is populated with strange eccentric local farmers, ranting landowners, wayward bourgeoisie, and an earnest group called the Friends of Open Space that sets out to save a section of the old Indian village site.

Mitchell is a superb stylist and a winner of the coveted John Burroughs Award for his essay "Of Time and the River". That said the book is a good read, but I for one was hoping Mitchell would move further afield and leave old Scratch Flat behind for a change.

An inspired, witty look at reclaiming land for common uses.......1998-08-28

John Hanson Mitchell is a nature writer, yet he is without the dead seriousness of many zealous "tree-huggers." His humor is dry and droll -- try his two-page account of the Indian who "discovered" Italy, which has become my favorite read-aloud. More important, his deft style is in the service of an underlying interest in human nature, history (and prehistory) and mythic currents in human life, which peek out from under his strong knowledge of nature and environmental affairs.

This book focuses all that and more with great imagination through the lens of a several-square-mile patch of land west of Boston called Neshobah, which was Indian territory until the Europeans arrived, became under them one of the first Indian reservations, became private property and now is partially being restored to common use via various land trusts, bringing a 400-year history full cycle. Captivating, engaging, thought-provoking stuff and a great read.

Average customer rating:
Trespassing : An Inquiry into the Private Ownership of Land
John Hanson Mitchell
Manufacturer: Perseus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLFGUO

Average customer rating:

outrageously funny

Internet Dating Just Bytes
Terry Richman , and Mari Wisely
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1420820281

Book Description

This is a humorous approach for finding a good recipe. Learning how to write a great personal ad. It will show you what to put in your ad, and most importantly what to leave out. How to read personal ads to know what they are really saying and reading between the lines, for what they don't say. Dating and relationships is like making a cake. You should start with a good recipe. A recipe that does not include any foiled Bundt cakes, fruitcakes, and no half-baked nut wonders. What we really need is a human Mixmaster, where you can gather up all of the ingredients you want and throw them in there to make the perfect mate, but then that would take all of the fun and surprise out of searching the Internet now wouldn't it?" Even with a good recipe things can still go awry: "Great growling grizzly! I had a date with Wild Man Mike from the Klondike. An extremely nice guy, but short of coming to the date with a weed eater for beard trimming I was not equipped to handle what I had unearthed. Mother Mary, he was wild and hairy. The only sparks that arose in this situation came from the undercarriage of my car when I hit a speed bump driving away at 85 miles an hour." In this book, you will discover some of the pitfalls and the pratfalls of online romance. We have endeavored in creating this book to show you a little of both. Many of the things that we discuss are through observations and stories from people that have been there and done that. We truly hope that you enjoy reading our somewhat comic romp through the world of matchmaking in cyber-space as much as we enjoyed creating it. "On-line dating can be interesting and fun but all of the stars have to align perfectly for that to happen. Finding that perfect someone is not the norm it's kind of like winning the lottery. You run the ball hopper and see what pops out. Maybe if you're lucky you'll get a winner but more often then not you'll get a loser." This is both a man and a woman's perspective abo

Customer Reviews:

outrageously funny.......2005-09-15

This book is so very funny and so very true. I didn't want to put it down once I started reading it! I can relate to some of the goings-on and the character called Uncle Ugh just cracked me up. This book is a must read for anyone who has a sense of humor and needs a good laugh!! plus the added benefit of some very good advice for those trying the internet dating game...

Average customer rating:
Brassey's Book of Naval Blunders (Military Blunders)
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | Ships | Transportation | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

More Military Blunders

Brassey's Book of Military Blunders

Historical Blunders

Air Force Blunders

Military History's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Improbable Victories, Unlikely Heroes, and Other Martial Oddities (Brassey's Most Wanted Series) (Most Wanted)

ASIN: 1574882538
Release Date: 2000-08-01

Book Description

Geoffrey Regan presents a fascinating catalog of naval incompetence throughout history, from Roman times to the Gulf War. Crammed with the intriguing and the bizarre and embellished with fifty illustrations, Brassey's Book of Naval Blunders is a serious but entertaining look at the follies and misjudgments-and sometimes the bad luck-of captains, fleet commanders, strategic planners, and ship designers.

Average customer rating:

great book

Brassey's Book of Military Blunders
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 157488252X
Release Date: 2000-08-01

Book Description

Geoffrey Regan surveys fascinating and disastrous decisions in naval and military warfare history. This book is the first in a series of titles that included Air Force Blunders and More Military Blunders published fall 2000. Both entertaining and informative, here is a look at a history that has been marked as much by incompetence as by gallantry and glory.

From ancient times to the Bay of Pigs and the Falklands War, military history has been marked as much by misjudgments and incompetence as by gallantry and glory. Such blunders have sometimes ended in tragedy. Sometimes they turned into farce. Sometimes they have ended in triumph, despite all odds.

In his collections, Geoffrey Regan not only recounts the staggering stories but also examines the kinds of problems that can lead to disasterâ€”from the Prussian general who believed he was pregnant with an elephant to the British cruiser HMS Trinidad that torpedoed itself in the Arctic in 1942.

Customer Reviews:

great book.......2005-04-13

with a alot of information and explaning , it shows you the time period , what led to the blunder , and what happened because of the blunder
enjoyable book

Average customer rating:

The Book of Military Blunders
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: ABC-Clio Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0874366682

Geoffrey Regan's Book Of Military Blunders

Average customer rating:

Geoffrey Regan's Book Of Military Blunders
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Carlton Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0233999779

Book Description

From ancient times to the Bay of Pigs and the Falklands War, military history has been marked as much by misjudgements and incompetence as by gallantry and glory. Author Geoffrey Regan not only recounts some of the staggering stories, but also highlights the kinds of difficulties that can lead to military disaster. Incorporating 50 fascinating illustration and laced with famous last words ('Well, don't worry about it' - American officer at Pearl Harbor observing blips on radar screen), this entertaining and instructive book will appeal to the military buff and general reader alike.

Average customer rating:

Guinness Book of Military Blunders
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Firebird Distributing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0851129617

The Guinness Book of More Military Blunders

Average customer rating:

The Guinness Book of More Military Blunders
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Guinness World Records Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0851127282

Average customer rating:

Guinness Book of Naval Blunders
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Gardners Books Ltd U
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0851127134

Average customer rating:

Past Times Book Military Blunders
Regan Geoffrey
Manufacturer: Gullane Children's Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0851120776

The Past Times book of Military Blunders

Average customer rating:

The Past Times book of Military Blunders
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Guinness Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KDJM9C

Average customer rating:

Geoffrey Regan's Book of Military Blunders
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Carlton Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQBSP6

Average customer rating:

The following information is from the inside cover:

Stokes Guide to Nature in Winter
Donald Stokes , and Lillian
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Stokes Guide to Observing Insect Lives

Winter: An Ecological Handbook

Life in the Cold: An Introduction to Winter Ecology

Stokes Guide to Animal Tracking and Behavior

Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior, Volume 1

ASIN: 0316817236

Customer Reviews:

The following information is from the inside cover:.......2005-06-06

A Guide to Nature in Winter is an un paralleled introduction to the wintertime natural world. Nature is never dormant: on close observation, a silent, snow- blanketed winter landscape reveals itself as the setting for intense and purposeful activity in the plant and animal worlds. Because natural activity is greatly simplified in winter, though, it is the ideal season to introduce oneself to the complex series of relationships that tie the natural world together.

Perhaps this volume is better described as eight comprehensive field guides in one. Donald Stokes covers thoroughly the eight prominent aspects of winter most easily studied in the field: winter weeds, snow crystals, wintering trees, evidence of in sects, birds and abandoned nests, winter mushrooms, tracks in the snow, and ever green plants. For each topic, he provides a general introduction, a key to field identification of items within the topic, and a natural history description of each item (arranged alphabetically, by common name).

The 485 stunning pen-and-ink drawings that grace these pages make accurate field identification easy and convey a feeling for nature in its entirety. A Guide to Nature in Winter will inform and entertain nature lovers, winter walkers, cross-country skiers, campers, birdwatchers, armchair naturalists - in short, everyone interested in understanding the marvels held by nature in winter. The combination of an expertly organized text and splendid illustrations enables readers to see, clearly and piercingly, the winter landscape as a bountiful whole.

Donald Stokes is a naturalist and teacher. Deborah Prince is a freelance artist. Both live in Massachusetts.

Average customer rating:

Enjoy this book!

A Guide to Nature in Winter
Donald Stokes , and Lillian Stokes
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0316189332

Customer Reviews:

Enjoy this book!.......2006-01-02

This guide was recommended to me by an instructor at the New England Wildflower Society. It is a perfect companion for any curious winter explorer. Not only is it a good field guide for identifying plants, trees and evidence of animal activity (clearly written using lay terms), it includes interesting notes on natural history. The guide is entertaining to read and a terrific way to prepare for your next walk. I highly recommend this guide for anyone living in the north east who delights in learning more about the natural world in all seasons.

A GUIDE TO NATURE IN WINTER: Northeast and North Central North America

Average customer rating:

A GUIDE TO NATURE IN WINTER: Northeast and North Central North America
D.W. Stokes
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUCC34

Average customer rating:

Stokes Guide to Nature in Winter
Donald; Lillian Stokes
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUE45I

Stokes Guide to Nature in Winter by Stokes, Donald; Lillian

Average customer rating:

Stokes Guide to Nature in Winter by Stokes, Donald; Lillian
Donald Stokes; Lillian
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q6QFNO

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books