Garden Houses and Privies: Authentic Details for Design and Restoration

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An essential component of homes and commercial buildings before the advent of indoor plumbing, privies--also known as "garden houses"--have found new uses as storage sheds, pool houses, etc. In this pattern book of 18th- and 19th-century designs, Harrison has painstakingly documented existing historic structures and translated them into beautiful line drawings, including compelling details such as finials, doors, windows, and ventilators.

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Customer Reviews:

Garden Houses and Privies.......2007-09-17

Excellent collection of privies constructed from 1700 to 1875. The author has done his research and while the detailed drawings are the main focus, the text is interesting. I wish there were more of it as the subject is a bit off the beaten path. The book is a great resource for homeowners, architects or builders really interested in incorporating accurate historical elements in residential construction.

Book Description

In 1920, Ludwig von Mises proclaimed that all attempts to establish socialism would come to grief, for reasons of informational efficiency. At first, socialists and economists took Mises's argument seriously, but by the end of the Second World War, a consensus prevailed that Mises had been discredited. More recently, that consensus has been rapidly reversed: it is now widely agreed that 'Mises was right'. Yet the momentous implications of the Mises argument - for economics, politics, culture, and philosophy - remain largely unexplored. From Marx to Mises is a clear, penetrating exposition of the economic calculation debate, and a scrutiny of some of the broader issues it raises.

Customer Reviews:

Summary: Mises was right.......2003-12-25

But why read that from David Steele? I would almost say why even bother reading about Marx's wothless arguments? except that to demolish socialist beliefs, you need to understand them. If you're interested, I suggest you also read Mises' book "Socialism". The one negative reviewer of this book criticizes Steele for not discussing the algorithms of calculuation. I can say that standard mathematics in regards to economics is gravely flawed and quite frankly irrelevant. Human beings are individuals who can make choices, not solar bodies who's behaviour can be nearly perfectly predicted by mathematics. The only mathematics that has any hope of being relevant to economics and praxeology is chaos theory and network theory.

The ignorance of algorithms.......2002-10-24

If you are a firm believer in the "free market" and know it to be the best of all possible economic organizations, both now and for ever more, then this is the perfect book to confirm your prejudices. This type of reader accounts for the five-star reviews this book has enjoyed (including glowing reviews in an academic journal or two).

If you are less convinced that you are living in the best of all possible worlds, in which efficiency and welfare are maximized, and instead are looking for alternatives, then this book is like taking a cold shower: it'll make you think about the problems involved in constructing alternatives.

Essentially, the book argues that it is undersirable to plan economic organization because planning is inherently inefficient compared to the operation of "free markets". From a scientific perspective the main problem with this book is methodology.

The author attempts to reason about complex systems, such as market organizations, planned economies, information flow from consumers to producers, coordination problems in systems with huge numbers of degrees of freedom, and so on, with very poor tools: essentially analytical philosophy and qualitative arguments. The sophisticated reader will be surprised to find very little mathematics or analysis of computational models. This is an acute lack because the calculation debate is essentially a debate about the theoretical and practical feasibility of classes of algorithms for allocating resources. The author doesn't have the intellectual tools to get to grips with the issues. For example, the actual planning algorithms that are critiqued are not specified in sufficient detail to implement. The author derives definitive conclusions from the analysis of partially and vaguely specified objects.

So for sceptics of the free market: read this critically, but take with a huge pinch of salt: remember the author is an ex-Marxist and revealed between the cracks of the often rambling prose is the desire to justify a wholesale rejection of past commitments. This motivation does not make for good science.

Miscalculations and botched economies.......2002-01-16

Critiques of Marxism are too often biased and useless misunderstandings of the substance and history of its philosophy and theories, but this book points to a partial exception that is more than ideological cliches, the socialist calculation debate, and contains a thorough history of this theoretical wrangle and its arcana, exposing the core weakness of the so-called Communist economies in action. Since consevatives make a fetish of this argument, I will recommend it instead to ostrich students on the left since few seem to be even aware of domain of discourse, or else they are not telling. G. Hogdson's Economics and Utopia also contains a corrective discussion of this issue, with a summary of "Towards a New Socialism", with its provocative and amusing attempt to resolve the intractable pricing nexus with computers! This after all is partly a technical, not a philosophic, issue, in the long run. Pricing twelve million commodities was a nightmare for Stalinist bureaucracies, but a few seconds computer time these days doing an input-output matrix! Hayek the dragonslayer may find himself trumped by Moore's Law, one day. That will be the day. Ha!
Important and useful book.

You Won't Be Disappointed.......2000-10-02

Only a man like Steele, who was once a well-versed Marxist, and then came to appreciate the passionate and compelling anti-socialism of "the Marx of capitalism," the great Ludwig von Mises, could have produced such an insightful book.

The trouble with most Marxists and Misesians is that they usually misconstrue the other side. Steele doesn't. He's one of the few writers who really understands where both sides are coming from.

The result is a fascinating and pentrating analysis of the single most important debate of the last 200 years----one which actually came close to destroying Western civilization as we know it.

Steele cuts through layers of irrelevancies to arrive at the crux of the controversy, and no one who reads this book will go away without a much deeper understanding of politics, economics, and intellectual history. (Example: A powerful analysis of the very idea of "property," whether public or private.) There is no thinking person that the insights of this book will not affect.

A book of the first importance.......1999-07-22

This book explores the relationship between economics and politics by focusing on the idea of "social planning" of the economy. The idea has been tremendously important, both in socialist and in modern liberal countries--but is it right? Steele shows the reasons for and against the idea, and while doing so provides an excellent account of the history of economic theories. He brings clarity, intelligence, and even wit to a subject that other writers struggle to make as opaque as possible. A fascinating book, the best introduction to modern economic thought that I've ever seen.

Book Description

All About Joints tells you everything you might want to know about your joints, how they work, how they can be injured, illnesses to which they are prone, and how to keep them healthy. The book is written for those wanting to better understand normal functioning of the musculoskeletal system and the injuries and ailments to which it is subject. It covers practical matters such as proper exercise and sports, the prevention and treatment of injury, arthritis and other ailments that affect our joints, and much more. Tables of instructional materials, illustrations, and numerous diagrams help readers understand the text. A list of books for suggested further reading and a handy glossary are included. All About Joints will teach readers everything they need to know in order to to understand their joints, how they work, and how to keep them in top form.

Customer Reviews:

A ýmaintenance guide' covering all the joints of the body.......2002-05-06

Dr. Irwin Siegel's All About Joints is a `maintenance guide' covering all the joints of the body, from wrists to knees and ankles. Any who want to understand normal functioning of the joints and treatments of common ailments and injuries will find Transplantation Sourcebook to be an excellent, "reader friendly" basic coverage which combines an understanding of anatomy with insights on the latest treatments. Diagnosis and prevention are also included in this fine and very highly recommended survey.

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The Battle of Berlin was the longest, most sustained offensive against a single target, and its merits remain a subject of debate even today. Here is the story behind these costly raids--including crucial tactical shifts within the R.A.F.--and month-by-month coverage of the most important runs. Based on over 400 interviews of both British and German aircrews.

Customer Reviews:

The destruction of another city or of Bomber Command..........2006-02-06

Martin Middlebrook's The Berlin Raids tells the battle of Berlin in the fall and winter of 1943-1944. As usual, Mr. Middlebrook sets the stage by telling us of the combatants and the target city. However, rather than providing us a detailed look at the different forces used in the battle, Mr. Middlebrook provides only a summary the combatants. After having read his books on Nuremburg and Hamburg, I was a little disappointed.

Since the campaign for Berlin took many months (August 1943 - March 1944), Mr. Middlebrook provides only a summary of each of the raids. These summaries tell us how many bombers participated, how many were lost (by type), support provided (other operations and diversions), along with a general description of how the raid went (participants memories of the struggle). In addition, Mr. Middlebrook provides a summary of the damage done. Mr. Middlebrook finishes the book off by describing the reckoning and summarizing what he believes the results were.

Mr. Middlebrook set out to analyze the effects of the British raids on Berlin in August 1943 - March 1944. Mr. Middlebrook does succeed in doing this, however it's not as strong as his books on The Nuremburg Raid or The Hamburg Raid. Despite this weakness, I will say that this is one of the best analysis possible on a bombing campaign possible, therefore, I'll give it a solid 4 star rating.

RAF BOMBER COMMAND'S FINEST HOUR.......2001-05-25

On becoming Commander-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command in 1942, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris stated that many people were claiming that strategic aerial bombing could not win the War but his reply was that it hadn't yet been tried. The raids of the Battle of Berlin described in this book were the peak of the "maximum effort" to bring Germany to defeat without the need for a potentially bloody land invasion of the Nazi-occupied continent by the British and Americans. The fact that, although, the Battle of Berlin caused serious damage to the German capital, it was not decisive, did not succeed in damaging the city as did the firestorm attack on Hamburg, and caused serious losses to Bomber Command does not mean that it should not have been tried. Much of the criticism of Harris is based on 20/20 hindsight. Firstly, it is important to look at the state of the war in late 1943 and early 1944 when the Battle of Berlin was taking place. The Battle of Kursk had been fought in July and as a result, the German ability to go on the offensive on the Eastern Front had been broken, but their defensive capabilites were still formidable. It was still not at all clear that the Soviets would be able to defeat the Germans and reach Berlin nor was the outcome of the impending Operation Overlord certain. Josef Stalin was a megalomaniacal totalitarian dictator and Churchill was well aware of this fact (Roosevelt didn't seem to understand this as well). There was always the fear in the back of the mind of the British that the two dictators might just get together again as they were in 1939-1941 and reach some sort of deal. Thus, the British had to prove to the Soviets that they were making damaging attacks on Germany even thought the Western Allies didn't yet have the strength to perform a landing in France. Secondly, all the senior officers in the British armed forces remembered the disaster of the Battle of the Somme in World War I. On the FIRST DAY alone, the British lost some 60,000 casualties including 20,000 dead and the attacks failed. No one wanted a repeat of that and if there was a chance that aerial bombing could make such an attack unnecessary, it was worth it. It is true that there were serious casualties in Bomber Command, but they were getting significant successes in return for the sacrifices such as the attacks on Cologne, Hamburg and the Ruhr. Thus, it was thought that if Berlin could be devastated in the same way, perhaps the German will to fight could be broken. Middlebrook points out that the longer distance to Berlin and the physical layout of the city made it more difficult to get the same sort of results. However, the Germans were forced to make a significant investment of resources in the air defense of their capital, resources that could have been used against the Soviets or later, against the British and American forces on D-Day. The American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs did manage to end the war with Japan without the need for a costly ground invasion of the Home Islands and many American and (possibly millions of) Japanese lives were saved as a result. Harris was hoping for the same result. The fact that he didn't have enough firepower to win the war on his own does not detract from his greatness as a commander. He worked diligently to get the necessary resources for his men and motivated them to keep flying in spite of the fact that a crewman only had about a 30% chance of surviving a tour of 30 missions. Middlebrook quotes many air crewman as pointing out that morale was high in spite of the losses because they realized they were delivering a mighty blow against one of the most evil regimes in human history. Finally, it must be pointed out that the work of Bomber Command was an investment in the future peace of the world. Both Germany and Japan were among the most militaristic societies in the world before World War II, whereas today they are among the most peaceful. This is because the people of these two nations learned the hard way that aggression does not pay. At the end of World War I there was an armistice, but there had been no fighing on German territory, so the Germans were willing to have another go at it just 20 years later. The valiant sacrifices of Bomber Command taught them that war is not the way, and the peace has held in Europe for more than 50 years.

The Decimation of RAF Bomber Command.......2000-11-07

In this book, covering the nineteen Royal Air Force (RAF) raids over Berlin between August 1943 and March 1944, Martin Middlebrook deviates from his standard formula for chronicling military history. Normally, Middlebrook takes a crucial day or at most a few days of a major battle and uses this to showcase the battle as a whole. Middlebrook typically interlaces expert historical analysis with hard-hitting eyewitness accounts. Unfortunately, this well-proven formula is lacking in The Berlin Raids. The time period covers seven months of an attritional battle that had few highpoints and there are many less eyewitness accounts than in other Middlebrook accounts. As storytelling, this one is much less dynamic than either the Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raids or the Battle of Hamburg.

As history, this book also leaves much to be desired. Air Marshall Sir Arthur Harris' decision to "wreck Berlin from end to end" and thus end the war was a controversial claim in 1943 as well as from hindsight. Harris, being a true bomber fanatic who believed that airpower alone could smash German will to resist, was allowed to fight his own personal war for seven months (Churchill ran interference for Harris, while the Americans were demanding that the RAF hit more militarily significant targets). Attritional battles are controversial by their very nature because they accept heavy friendly casualties as the cost of doing business. Yet while Harris' actions should provide ample fodder for controversy, there is little in this account. Another historical omission of this account is that the American bomber units in the 8th Air Force are barely mentioned here, despite the fact that they were undertaking missions that had impact on German and British decision-making.

Each raid is covered in 6-10 pages with a sketch map showing the route in and out, but not the aim points or areas bombed. It quickly becomes apparent in Middlebrook's account that RAF bomber command had a hard time finding Berlin, never mind hitting aim points in the city. Most of the raids missed the aim points by five miles or more and many of the bombs fell in open countryside. A number of the raids were disrupted by bad weather and the German night fighter defenses were just recovering from the British introduction of "Window". Instead of destroying Berlin, RAF Bomber Command came closer to destroying itself. In the course of these nineteen raids, a total of 643 bombers were lost and 3,686 aircrew men killed. German losses were about 10,300 civilian deaths and fewer than 100 night fighters.

Although Middlebrook is a devotee of British night bombing tactics and never fails to criticize American daylight bombing methods, I found myself sickened by the blind stupidity of British tactics in the Battle of Berlin. To begin with, the British Lancaster bomber was a virtual death-trap if hit; Middlebrook notes the average was only 1 out of 7 crewmen successfully bailing out of stricken aircraft. And the Germans shot them down with great ease. One expert night fighter pilot shot down six Lancasters in one sortie and another pilot shot down three. By 1944 the night no longer provided adequate cover to the British bomber streams. Air Marshal Harris pushed Bomber Command to keep mounting raids: experienced crews were kept in the fight too long and losses mounted due to fatigue while inexperienced crews were thrown into the fight without adequate training. While British bombs were mostly killing elderly Germans and women and children - all people who were making little if any contribution to Hitler's war effort - Harris was sacrificing the cream of Bomber Command. The elite Pathfinder Force lost 784 men in the Berlin campaign and lost much of its proficiency; without qualified Pathfinders Bomber Command couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. It is even more sickening when one realizes how little the British were accomplishing: three of the raids killed less than 100 Germans each and most of the raids were inflicting little real damage on the city. Furthermore, the RAF failed to realize that the Luftwaffe had developed new tactics (Tame Boar) and equipment (SN-2 radar, upward-firing 20mm cannons) that made the German night defenses more effective than ever before. By the end of the battle, RAF morale was affected and many crews were aborting or dropping their bombs short of the target.

The book does have a few poignant items. The pity of war is reflected in the plight of bombed-out civilians. After one raid, an eyewitness describes, "an old blind man who sat in the middle of the street, on a chair among the belongings they had saved, while his home burned down." The randomness of war is reflected in another incident. Although few German flak gunners were killed, one unlucky gunner was killed when, "an incendiary bomb fell right on top of his steel helmet that scattered his brains."

In the end, Harris stopped the bombing campaign once the Normandy invasion was drawing near and he was ordered to switch to more tactical targets. In one last political act before he had to switch missions, Harris decided to bomb Nurnberg - the political hotbed of Nazism - on 30 March 1944. Despite adverse weather conditions and tough Luftwaffe defenses, Harris ordered the raid and the result was disaster. RAF bomber command suffered its heaviest loss in a single raid, 95 bombers were lost and few bombs hit the city. To this idiotic finale of RAF anti-city raids, Middlebrook only makes the lame observation that Harris ignored these disasters in his memoirs. The truth is that Harris was wrong and he should have been relieved. The truth is that Harris' campaign to smash Berlin virtually destroyed his own Bomber Command but he was either too stupid or arrogant to acknowledge his errors. The truth is that British night-bombing tactics were a failure and a waste of human lives on both sides. If Britain had only used Bomber Command in support of more realistic objectives, like attacking German war industries in daylight or tactical targets, then the sacrifices might have been justified. Instead, RAF Bomber Command was defeated in the skies over Berlin attempting to prove the unfounded theory that airpower could win wars by slaughtering helpless civilians. It did not work for the Luftwaffe over London in 1940-1 and it did not work for the RAF over Berlin in 1943-4.

The Bomber Offensive Against Berlin.......2000-10-19

Having devasted Hamburg in a short night-time bombing campaign in the summer of 1943 (much of the damage being inflicted in one night when a combination of circumstances produced a devasting firestorm), the attention of "Bomber" Harris, the leader of the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command, turned to the capital of Nazi Germany - Berlin. If the RAF could wreck Berlin by night-time area bombing, then the war could be over by the Spring of 1944! Or so Harris thought.

Martin Middlebrook's masterly account charts the progress of the RAF's bombing campaign against Berlin during the long, cold winter nights of 1943-1944. It was a campaign that saw 19 major bombing raids against the Nazi capital, with the loss of over 600 RAF aircraft - mostly 4-engined bombers and their crews.

Middlebrook's book is aimed squarely at examining the campaign at the tactical level. Numerous eye witness accounts place the reader in the cockpits of RAF bombers lumbering through the darkened skies of Occupied Europe, laden with their lethal cargoes of high explosive and incendary bombs. The German perspective is equally well covered - from the crews of the often deadly German nightfighters, to the civilians huddled in their shelters under the rain of bombs. The weapons, and in particular the tactics used, are also examined (although I suspect that the level of detail will disappoint serious aircraft buffs).

Traditional, factual, and extensively researched military history is combined with a wealth of interview material to produce a coherent, well-balanced and extremely well written account of the battle. This book is a must for any serious student of aerial warfare, or for anyone who just wants to understand what the area bombing campaign of Nazi Germany was really like - from both sides.

Book Description

Birds of paradise have long played a central role in the mythologies, ceremonies, dress and dance of the peoples of New Guinea and its neighbouring islands. For the few centuries that these magnificent birds have been known outside of Australasia, their striking nuptial plumages and elaborate courtship rituals have captured the imagination of collectors, scientists, and naturalists throughout the world. The first part of the book provides a comprehensive and scientifically accurate overview of the biology, ecology, and history of the group, written so as to be interesting and accessible to the lay-reader as well as the scientist. The authors' intimate observations of the birds have enabled them to describe for the first time how the extravagant tails and plumage are used in courtship and mating as well as to describe their nesting biology, about which little has been written previously. The role of the birds of paradise in human culture and tradition is explored in chapter 7, and a final chapter discusses issues of conservation and threats to the survival of these unique and beautiful birds. The second part of the book consists of species accounts of the 42 species of birds of paradise, describing their plumage, size, habitat, distribution, and behaviour in detail and accompanied by distribution maps and sonograms. 12 superb colour plates by William T. Cooper, one of the world's most acclaimed bird artists, illustrate all the species, their known hybrids, and many juveniles and sub-species. His original fine line provide a vivid record of how the birds use their famous ornaments during reproductive behaviour. As with the other books in the Oxford Bird Families of the World series, the Birds of Paradise is written by authors who have dedicated much of their professional lives to researching the birds and observing them at first hand. It includes previously unpublished material and provides a synthesis of the huge literature that has been published over the last few years. As such it will be the most comprehensive review ever to be published on the birds of paradise, the most ornate and interesting group of birds on earth. Nothing comparable exists in print.

Customer Reviews:

Superb Book........2005-08-06

Beautiful illustrations, very informative of the most interesting avifauna family.
I wish there's photographs of each species ...

The Birds of Paradise.......2001-11-11

I have just returned from Irian Jaya and spent the time looking at birds (including some BOP)and reading this excellent book. It is an extremely thorough, comprehensive and enjoyable book. Anybody who has an interest in Birds of Paradise - or indeed birds in general will do well to invest in this book. One day all bird books will be like this. Well done Frith, Beehler & Cooper - well done indeed.

THE BOOK on Birds of Paradise.......2001-04-03

This is a truly massive work (600+ pages all in "King-size") more suited for the coffee-table than the field. If there is anything you would like to know about Birds of Paradise you can find it here. The first part (150+ pages) of the book deals with a huge number of scientific matters examples being the discovery, ecology, biogeography, evolution, conservation, and reproductive behaviour of the Paradisaeidae. A absolutely astonishing number of tables exist in this part of the book. The next 300+ pages of the book deals with the individual species (all 42 or so species incl. Manucodes and Riflebirds). These descriptions are truly comprehensive dealing with description (incl. juv. and nestling appearance), distribution, systematics, subspecies, size, distribution (incl. map), habitat, vocalisation, courtship behaviour, diet, status, where any knowledge is lacking, and experiences in aviculture (this is just a sample of the subjects dealt with!!!). Numerous black-and-white drawings show different behaviours and a sonogram is often included. The text is scientific (with numerous references), however it should not present a large problem to the average reader, as a glossary exists in the back of the book. In the centre of the book 15 colour plates exists. One shows old drawings of Bird of Paradise, another shows different habitat photos, and yet another shows different nesting behaviour and moulting of a number of species (also in photos). The remaining plates show some of the highest quality drawings of birds I have ever seen. All the species of Birds of Paradise are depicted in a huge variety of plumage's (e.g. males, females, juveniles, and different subspecies). One plate is even devoted to their egg's. The drawings can only bee described as a true appetiser for anyone interested in beauty. The last two plates depict a number of hybrids apparently rather common in the Birds of Paradise. A chapter also deals with this subject. Well, after all this scientific nonsense, who would want to buy this book (other than a scientist)? Everybody interested in special, interesting, and beautiful birds. If you are going to New Guinea in the near future this is absolutely also a book worth looking at. A five page chapter also discusses how, when, and where best to see Birds of Paradise (also as a the tourist!!!). It will prepare you for this astonishing group of birds like no field guide could ever do. The only thing I would have wished for is more colour photos.

GOOD BOOK.......2000-02-03

Hey thes book is very good i am from denmark and when i first saw it it seams like a good book, nice colorfotos of every species and easy readable text what moore can i say buy it *s*

Ornithological Literature.(Review) (book review): An article from: Wilson Bulletin

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Ornithological Literature.(Review) (book review): An article from: Wilson Bulletin
Jr., William E. Davis , and Sara R. Morris
Manufacturer: Wilson Ornithological Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Wilson Bulletin, published by Wilson Ornithological Society on June 1, 2000. The length of the article is 898 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: Ornithological Literature.(Review) (book review)
Author: Jr., William E. Davis
Publication: Wilson Bulletin (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2000
Publisher: Wilson Ornithological Society
Volume: 112 Issue: 2 Page: 295

Article Type: Book Review

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Oiseaux de Paradis et Colibris, Images de la Vie des Oiseaux Sous les Tropiques

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Oiseaux de Paradis et Colibris, Images de la Vie des Oiseaux Sous les Tropiques

Manufacturer: Editions Artis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000CD0QCM

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Tropical hummingbirds and birds of paradise. With 60 striking full-color plates tipped in.

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