Fabulous Las Vegas in the 50s: Glitz, Glamour & Games

Customer Reviews:

A visual fantasyland.......2002-12-05

I've been to Vegas a dozen times, but the stores are always sold out of this fabulous book. So I was glad to get it here. It's a great, visual tour of old Las Vegas--the place my mom and dad used to go and bring me souvenirs. I like the pictures very much, as well as the artwork from the period, and the brief captions were enough to whet my appetite for more. I want to collect poker chips now! The fabulous shot of Elvis and Liberace, as well as the shots of Sinatra and Mae West are all unbelievable treasures. I don't know how these guys found all this stuff, but my hat is off to them. And actually reading Keely Smith's words after listening to her music for years was a great honor. I recommend this book whole heartedly

Only a photo album.......2001-11-02

I'm sorry to be negative--I'm a big fan of some of Mr. Basten's other books--but this was a disappointment. I expected more (or at least some) text. Hardcover, but only 127 pages, and many of the photos are blown up so that their pixels or scanner artifacts show. The book's graphic style is "Annoying Fifties," which is appropriate, but the caption text is rendered in brush script. Another reviewer said that the first half was all about the early history of the first casinos--would that this were true.

There are lots of "mood" photos, and Charles Phoenix' collection of matchbooks and swizzle sticks are amply presented, but the text is filled with "mid-fifties" and "late 1940s." Call me obsessive, but I like a bit more precision in my history. The book starts with a mention of "Helldorado Day," a tradition that evolved into a four-day annual celebration. Wonder what time of year it occured or whether or not it is still occurring? Me, too.

So, if you'd like to see several dozen historical photos with reasonably good captions, here's your book. Keely Smith's introduction is entertaining. But as another reviewer mentioned, Alan Hess' Viva Las Vegas is better for a real history with actual, um, facts.

Fun and fantasy in the desert.......2001-10-30

I was attracted to this book because it covers a period in American life that fascinates me. The text (basically captions to the photos) provides a superficial but exuberant look at Vegas. The first half of the book covers the origins of the major hotels and casinos, plenty of color photos, match book covers, postcards, menus etc presented in breezy layouts. The section on the entertainers I found dull as these people, looking at the photos, could have been performing anywhere. For what ia really a fun book it does have an index.

A far better coverage of Las Vegas can be found in 'Viva Las Vegas: after-hours architecture' by Alan Hess. This book is almost the oppposite of 'Fabulous Las Vegas', essentially text and some color photos but Hess has done a tremendous amount of research. The really keen could plough through 'Learning From Las Vegas' by the architectual team Venturi, Scott-Brown and Izenour, their controversial view was that Vegas, because of its popularity, should influence building design elsewhere...I think I would agrre with that.

Fabulous book for anyone!.......2000-04-04

This fabulous book concentrated on the history and glitz of old Las Vegas, and I loved it! Very informative, and very exciting! I'm only 25 years old, so I especially loved comparing the glamour of old Las Vegas with the city that I know today. I gave this book to my dad to read after me, and he loved it for completely different reasons... mostly because he remembers those fabulous days from the 1950s. The photos and stories are unbelievable, including the Rat Pack, Mae West, and my personal favorite: Elvis performing with Liberace! This is a great book for anyone who loves Las Vegas, who wants to know the history of sin city, appreciates good entertainment, or who just likes to travel. The whole book is fun, and I even learned something from reading it! I'm telling everyone, young and old alike, to buy this book.

Awsome Pictures and info.......2000-04-04

Great Book. Many old pictures of Vegas. Shows some awsome old Casino Chips Pictured. Talks about the behind scences life of vegas. One of the best books out there.

Customer Reviews:

First Bob Ross, now wash-dross, watercolours in /acrylic/feathers/cement...whatever,.......2006-02-14

"Anyone can paint" writes Mr Fenwick, instantly and enthusiastically disproving this statement with his own lacklustre compositions. Those among you familiar with Mr Fenwick's tv show "The Art Doctor" will find the quotation: "Physician, heal thyself." all too fitting. Yet another book of formulaic nonsense aimed at those individuals believing they have some latent artistic ability ready to be unleashed upon the world. Sadly, most don't. This book will do nothing to change that.

The Bob Ross of watercolor!.......2005-04-30

It may be interesting to note that Keith currently has an excellent show on Sound TV called 'The Art Doctor'(via Sky in the UK). One of the notions he promotes is that, to get started, we can forget most of what is normally taught about watercolor painting - including what type of paint to use!!! There's an uncanny similarity between Keith's technique with watered down acrylics and the Bob Ross technique in oils - even Keith's easel and painting knife look very similar to Bob's! Certainly, Keith's sense of color is different to mine (as was Bob's), but his application techniques are easy to master and produce great results. That's qualification enough for me!

Regular Person.......2004-08-07

This is a very good book for basic to advanced painters. The beginner will find easy step-by-step lessons as well as excellent chapters on color mixing and composition. The book begins with basic paintings that can all be completed in 45 minutes or less with the second half of the book getting into more detailed techniques. Maybe the colors could be a little brighter but the printed pictures show good detail for brush strokes and the "how-to" steps to get started painting a niece landscape painting.

A Must to Avoid.......2002-08-23

If I can prevent even one person from buying this book, then writing this review will have been worth it. Mr. Fenwick is absolutely, totally unqualified to teach anyone about watercolor painting. All of his paintings look like the first feeble attempts of a fourteen-year old. The colors are insipid and uncoordinated. The drawing is inept. The instructions are simplistic formulas such as "the mountains are a series of letter M's", "the beach is the letter C", and so on. Almost any other book on the subject would be infinitely superior to this one.

Book Description

In this searing polemic, Lee Edelman outlines a radically uncompromising new ethics of queer theory. His main target is the all-pervasive figure of the child, which he reads as the linchpin of our universal politics of “reproductive futurism.” Edelman argues that the child, understood as innocence in need of protection, represents the possibility of the future against which the queer is positioned as the embodiment of a relentlessly narcissistic, antisocial, and future-negating drive. He boldly insists that the efficacy of queerness lies in its very willingness to embrace this refusal of the social and political order. In No Future, Edelman urges queers to abandon the stance of accommodation and accede to their status as figures for the force of a negativity that he links with irony, jouissance, and, ultimately, the death drive itself.

Closely engaging with literary texts, Edelman makes a compelling case for imagining Scrooge without Tiny Tim and Silas Marner without little Eppie. Looking to Alfred Hitchcock’s films, he embraces two of the director’s most notorious creations: the sadistic Leonard of North by Northwest, who steps on the hand that holds the couple precariously above the abyss, and the terrifying title figures of The Birds, with their predilection for children. Edelman enlarges the reach of contemporary psychoanalytic theory as he brings it to bear not only on works of literature and film but also on such current political flashpoints as gay marriage and gay parenting. Throwing down the theoretical gauntlet, No Future reimagines queerness with a passion certain to spark an equally impassioned debate among its readers.

Customer Reviews:

Important, but..........2006-03-21

Lee Edleman's book poses important questions for all of us about "queerness" and resistance to our presumedly "normal" cultural investments in a redemptive future figured most vividly in the notion of the "child." I admire the work being done here, and in particular the intellectual chutzpah it takes to dismantle this dominant ideological framework while taking on Baudrillard, Butler and other formidable thinkers. It is, however, unfortunate that Edelman seems to have become enchanted as much by his own linguistic cleverness as by the important ideas he sets out to explore.

Thelabor required to make sense of the dense, overwrought and smugly elitist tone of the text detracts from and, I imagine for many readers unfamiliar with the burdensome jargon, simply impedes understanding. This is particularly painful in the chapter on Hitchcock's "The Birds" which seems to be as much a compendium of bad bird puns as it is a serious inquiry into the themes of the book.

That being said, Edelman has made an important, even daring, contribution to queer theory. His readings of texts and films are original and thought-provoking. Furthermore, the ideas Edelman lays out in "No Future" could and should help shape our understanding of the importance of resisting what he calls a "vision of futurity." Sadly, his impenetrable prose limits access to his ideas and keeps the circuit of discourse firmly shut to those most likely to benefit from the ideas he puts forth.

Book Description

This anthology of 25 scholarly articles offers a broad historical overview of the history, definition, and scope of ethnomusicology. The essays range from early summaries of the field's subject matter and state of research to later, comprehensive discussions spanning the discipline at large, its intellectual history, and future prospects. Ethnomusicology surveys the field, its methods, philosophy, and goals, and is well-suited for use as an introductory text.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The study of non-Western, or world music, which is the subject of this anthology, is currently one of the hottest areas in music education *
Covers key historical, methodological, and theoretical topics from the early part of the century to the mid-1980s, providing a scholarly overview to research topics. *
Collects in a single volume articles that come from a wide variety of sources.
Suitable for Courses in
Ethnomusicology/Multiculturalism in Music, Introduction to Music, Music History, World Music, Cultural and Social Anthropology, Folk Music, and Folklore and Myth.

Average customer rating:

"Begin at the beginning..."

Learn to Play Go Series

Broad in principle. Shallow in depth.

Less Organized, More Thoughtful

Learn to Play Go Series Volume IV (Battle Strategies)
Janice Kim
Manufacturer: Good Move Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Reference | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Learn to Play Go: The Palace of Memory (Volume V)

The Dragon Style (Learn to Play Go, Volume III) (Learn to Play Go Service)

The Way of the Moving Horse (Learn to Play Go, Volume II) (Learn to Play Go Ser)

Learn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I) (Learn to Play Go)

Tesuji Tesuji

ASIN: 0964479648

Book Description

Battle Strategies.

Volume IV of the Learn to Play Go series. Two top masters reveal the essential principles and techniques of good fighting, many explained in English for the first time. Designed for those who have completed the first three volumes, or the intermediate Go player.

Customer Reviews:

"Begin at the beginning...".......2007-08-21

Conceptually the game of Go has fascinated me for years. The rules and game play are simple - you can learn them in an hour or less. The strategy is so complex that it can obviously take a lifetime to master. Enter the "Learn to Play Go" series. It is a good idea to follow the Red Queen's advice, and "Begin at the beginning and continue on until you reach the end." Start with Volume One and continue from there. You will learn elementary strategies and techniques and continue to more advanced concepts. Excellent!
I have to add a plug - on of the things that was waiting for was a competent Go program, since you can't find opponents on a park bench. "iGo Sensei" for the Mac does just that, and it has a lot of teaching elements. If you use Windows you've got a problem.

Learn to Play Go Series.......2007-08-11

As a beginner, I am grateful for the wonderfully clear graphic design of this series, the warmth & wit of the author, and the clarity of her ideas. But a certain minimum amount of information is required to get a handle on any topic, and, most of the time, I'm not finding that forthcoming in this series. Instead of being shown a few examples of games where one player reduces or invades another's territory, for example, I'd have found it much more useful to get a basic overview of how to imagine territorial boundaries, which to pick as targets of attack, when to attack, where to play, how to respond, etc. I found the discussion of capturing races and the viability of eye space to be outstanding, but these were exceptions rather than the rule. By contrast, Bruce Wilcox has a two part computer tutorial ("Contact Fights" & "Sector Fights") that's amazingly practical and meaty; I can't recommend it highly enough; my advice to fellow beginners is to start with Janice Kim's volumes I & II, but then switch to Wilcox's "Sector Fights" followed by his "Contact Fights." In parallel, I'm finding it very helpful to work through books of problems; a great first book is Kano Yohinori's "Graded Go Problems for Beginners."

Broad in principle. Shallow in depth........2006-04-17

The most attractive quality of this book is its ease of understanding. It introduces important strategic concepts of go such as reducing Vs. invading in a way even the most recent beginner can understand.

The pitfall is limited depth. In contrast to books from the Elementary Go Series (In the Beginning, Tesuji, Life and Death, etc.), Kim's Vol. IV - Battle Strategies gives the reader markedly less learning potential.

In my case, after the first reading the ideas had been acquired and there was little worth referring back to. I haven't picked it up since I read it. Whereas, books from the Elementary Go Series continue to challenge me and improve my game even after the 3rd\4th readings, and I expect they will continue to for months to come.

I might recommend Kim's book to the recent beginner looking for a light read. It's also well suited for young players who would have difficulty concentrating on the more dense books of the Elementary Go Series.

Overall, an enjoyable read, a breeze to understand, but lacking in depth when compared to other books available with the same price and topic. In my case, it left something to be desired.

Less Organized, More Thoughtful.......2002-08-31

This is currently the last of four books written by Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyun. The first two volumes are designed to take a newcomer to the game of Go and help them achieve a modest but significant level of competence. The third volume is best suited to the player who has achieved some comfort with hand-to-hand combat and is ready to approach the more complex tactical and strategic levels of the game. This volume focuses on the middle game, where territory is truly lost or gained. A player must walk a tightrope between strategy and tactics in this phase while balancing attack and defense.

There is so much going on the board during the middle game that it is genuinely difficult to write a book that teaches more than a single facet of playing the middle game. This can make studying frustrating. What Kim and Soo-hyun have done is written an introduction to the middle game that, while it does not dig deep into the layers of complexity, provides a framework whereby the student can determine where best to focus. In doing so, they have achieved something unique.

The first half of the book focuses on the middle game itself. It opens with a section on invasion and reduction, followed by further material on battle strategies, attack, and defense. The second half discusses life and death. This includes the making of living shapes, the art of killing groups of stones, and handling capturing races. There is also a very good discussion on Ko fighting which goes into surprising detail. As is true of the entire series, the discussion is easy to understand, and examples are plentiful.

I should point out that the apparent organization of the book is a bit deceptive. The nature of the material is such that some serendipity is inevitable. Discussion of principles is mixed in with a lesson about a particular attack or tesuji. As such, this book needs to be read several times to get all of its contents fixed in one's mind. Some might consider this a fault, but I know of almost no other book that sets out to cover what this one does without falling victim to the same problem. For the player who understands that most improvement comes from hard work, this book is a real blessing. Highly recommended.

Book Description

Same as paperback. This is a library binding.

Book Description

From 1969 to 1974 Ehrhart was just Passing Time. His reentry into the "world" began with his enrollment as a 21-year-old freshman (and token Vietnam vet) at Swarthmore College. At first simply trying to bury his past, Ehrhart slowly if inexorably came to understand what happened to him, and why, in Vietnam. Interspersed are flash-backs to the war itself. It is the story of political-and personal-awakening. As the war dragged on, the United States' deceitful involvement and its perpetuation of fallacies and lies about the war's conduct forced Ehrhart to confront his own feelings about his government, country, and self. Throughout, the reader shares with Ehrhart his odyssey through naivete, growing awareness, angry withdrawal and, finally, a measure of peace.

Customer Reviews:

Hippy VV mbr VVAW E-6 from PA dumps cold H2O on YKW!.......1998-07-10

Passing Time's time pasting took only one night! In that time W. D. Ehrhart flashed me back to '70, 68, 69, 71, and the nitexmasarclights of '72, Ho ho ho chi minhnity returns with both laughter and extreme anger! Ah! The ying and yang of it to me who calls Bill and old old dear friend whom I had never availed myself to his insight and wit like I did last night with Passing Time! Five stars *****, but never too soon to be a new motion picture. Of an old e-6 hippy from Perkasie, Pa, who graduated from Swarthmore College and worked at sea like all "Old Salt" gyrenes who went a few places, saw a few things and still live to tell about it in all speldid details from the heart. Perspicatious (if that can be now a new adjective!) jvb

Book Description

FISCAL ADMINISTRATION is based on two principles: that students must clearly understand the details of where the money for public budgets comes from; and that, to learn public finance and budgeting, students must "run the numbers." John Mikesell--an authority on the revenue side of public finance--focuses on his area of specialty, giving students detailed instruction that will equip them to deal with the complex issues and calculations they will encounter in the field. In most chapters, Mikesell includes questions and exercises that require calculations to get specific answers, as well as "Cases for Discussion" and "Sidebars" that supplement the regular text with more in-depth treatment of key topics. This edition also includes the most recent federal budget information, as well as the latest federal government fiscal data.

Customer Reviews:

Mikesell needs to write more succinctly... please see Lee, Joyce and Johnson........2005-10-19

Public Budgeting Systems by Robert D. Lee, Philip G. Joyce, and Ronald Wayne Johnson is written more clearly... if you have a choice, buy this book. The problem with Mikesell is that he has to write 200 pages (six chapters) to explain the concept of revenues in the budget process. Too many trees were wasted in the development of this book. Lee, Joyce, and Johnson can do this in 40 pages.

The greater majority of my Public Budgeting Systems class at George Mason University feels that the Mikesell book is written in a manner to lull oneself to sleep... the benefit is that one could read the book rather than using drugs to induce sleep.

However, if you are required to purchase the Mikesell book, you should go to the Amazon UK web site and complete your transaction there... you can save yourself about 70 to 80 dollars.

Good book, bad delivery.......2005-09-30

I didn't get the book until 20 days after delivery. Way too long compared to other services. I got books I ordered the same day, 5 business days after placing the order.

Overall, Im pleased with the condition of the book.

Mikesell needs more money, reprints same book with new picture on the cover.......2005-07-07

Are you looking for this book for your MPA course? Save some money and buy an older edition. They're all the same!!!

Regarding Fiscal Administration.......2004-04-05

I am currently using this book for a graduate-level public budgeting course for a ranked MPA program. Mikesell's textbook is a poorly written, discursive and convoluted in scope. There are several basic grammatical errors in this textbook, and this is coming from someone whose first language is not English. The end-of-chapter computational problems are difficult to complete because nowhere in the chapters does the author explain how to do the problems.

There is also too much information crammed into each paragraph; I'm lucky if I can read three pages in a row in one sitting. The author does not write well; he uses too many block quotes and lists (e.g, (1), (2), (3)...). Therefore, this book does not read well, and the information he tries to provide does not register in the mind.

Most of my classmates have the same complaints as the ones I listed above. This book agitating for many to read, even for someone with a fairly solid economic background. Therefore, I'd strongly recommend not to use this book if at all possible.

But to balance out this criticism with some good points, the first chapter is relatively easy to read and useful.

Incorrect statement from former reviewer.......2004-02-28

A previous reviewer incorrectly identified my father's (J. Mikesell) undergrad alma mater as Illinois. In fact John Mikesell earned his BA from Wabash College.

Book Description

Never HIGHLIGHT a Book Again! Virtually all testable terms, concepts, persons, places, and events are included.look no further for study resources or reference material. Cram101 Textbook Outlines gives all of the outlines, highlights, notes, and practice-tests for your textbook. Only Cram101 is Textbook Specific. Cram101 is NOT the Textbook.

Fiscal Administration: Analysis and Applications for the Public Sector (Brooks/Cole Series in Public Administration)

Average customer rating:

Fiscal Administration: Analysis and Applications for the Public Sector (Brooks/Cole Series in Public Administration)
John L. Mikesell
Manufacturer: Thomson Brooks/Cole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Debt & Deficits | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Affairs & Administration | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Public | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0534136389

Fiscal Administration: Analysis and Applications for the Public Sector, 5th

Average customer rating:

Fiscal Administration: Analysis and Applications for the Public Sector, 5th
John L. Mikesell
Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace College Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJHOHO

Customer Reviews:

Picturing the voyages.......2003-09-06

This book is well done, with fantastic pictures and direct text. Perhaps my favorite pictures included the large groups of red knots and snow geese. The narratives on navigation and flight plans were particularly good at explaining what can be complex. The examples were from both North America and Europe, and as a North American the problems of crossing the Sahara were new to me. The maps really illustrate the points, and the map with the gnomic versus Mercator projection was a great example. A step up from the average "coffee table" picture book.

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