Average customer rating:
|
Prentice Hall Science: Evolution Change over Time (Prentice Hall science)
Anthea Maton ,
Jean Hopkins ,
Susan Johnson ,
David Lahart ,
Maryanna Quon Warner , and
Jill D. Wright
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Teens
| Subjects
| Books
| Audiobooks
| Authors, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Health, Mind & Body
| History & Historical Fiction
| Horror
| Literature & Fiction
| Manga
| Mysteries
| Reference
| Religion & Spirituality
| School & Sports
| Science & Technology
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Series
| Social Issues
Genetics
| Evolution
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Natural History
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Teen Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0132255332 |
Average customer rating:
|
La situation de l'eriocaulon de Parker (Eriocaulon parkeri) au Quebec (Especes menacees ou vulnerables)
Frederic Coursol
Manufacturer: Ministere de l'environnement, Direction de la conservation et du patrimoine ecologique
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Plants
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Botany
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Nonfiction
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All French Books
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 2550342976 |
Book Description
Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and
behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination
aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These
concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear
of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations,
and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.
Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a
particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business
or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include
* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* do's, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken
"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times
Travel
"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd
quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel
"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid
embarrassing faux pas." Observer
"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine
"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times
Customer Reviews:
Great Concept in Travel Guides.......2007-05-18
A Quick Guide To Customs and Etiquette is a new series of travel guides which seems so ideal I had to wonder why it has been such a long time coming. Each guide focuses on the customs and etiquette of each specific country and tells pleasure and business travelers what they need to know in order not to make embarrassing or insulting blunders in a foreign country. With a brief overview of the history, geography, and religious customs that helped develop the country, the reader gains an understanding of what to expect and how to respond. There are sections on the land and people, values and attitudes,religion & festivals & rituals, banquets and entertaining, visiting in a home, conducting business, communicating, food and drink, and more. These little guides fit into our purse so you can read one on the plane en route and be familiar with the society's do's and don't's as you arrive. These guides are terrific and important to each of us as the world grows smaller. You may even be visiting a cultural section within your own city, such as China Town, and want to have this guide to help you understand and appreciate another way of life. Excellent! Buy one for each place you travel.
Over-priced, and full of filler.......2007-03-08
I am disappointed with this book on a variety of levels. First of all, about half of it is devoted to Chinese history, which is not why one would buy such a book. One needs a "quick guide to customs and etiquette" to avoid social faux pas and to keep from accidentally offending people, not to learn about Chairman Mao's Long March. (The historical information is interesting, but sketchy at best, and shouldn't it be found in a different kind of book anyway?) It would seem that a whole bunch of this historical information has been added as filler to double the size of the book.
Secondly, somehow the discussion of how foreigners are viewed by the Chinese made me feel vaguely uncomfortable, and I am not sure why. There was just something awkward there. (Maybe I just don't like stereotyping..?)
Thirdly, while there is discussion of customs there is a dirth of "watch out for this" warnings. For example, we are warned that the Chinese view blowing the nose as being somewhat gross, so if you have to do that, leave the room. This is the kind of information that visitors need - no one likes rude folks, but it's hard sometimes to know what is considered rude in another country.
Fourth, there is lots of other kinds of filler besides the historical information - like spending two whole pages explaining that cell phones have been very quickly and widely embraced in China, and how it was in the bad old days, like ten years ago. (Who cares...)
Finally, the author seems to suddenly switch over in the last quarter of the book from giving advice to the tourist to giving advice to the business person, and goes on and on for pages and pages and pages about how to behave at a business banquet. Then she says that such banquets are becoming increasingly rare. So why did we just waste all that space talking about them??? Sigh....
Save your money, and look up "Chinese customs and etiquette" on Google.
Book Description
Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.
Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include
* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* do's, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken
"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel
"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel
"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer
"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine
"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times
Book Description
Culture Smart! Is a new series of travel guides written for the traveler on the go. Each volume is a quick, accurate guide to customs and etiquette. Outstanding features of CULTURE SMART!
* all the essential cultural and etiquette points are covered, making you confident in a variety of situations.
* You will know what to expect in each particular culture
* You will learn how to behave in specific social and business situations
* Essential attitudes and values are clearly explained
* You will find each topic a quick, easy read due to the concise writing style
* Small and light, it tucks into your pocket or purse for on-the-go use.
* Your Culture Smart! Books are written by a staff of experts who consult on world travel as a profession.
Customer Reviews:
Overpriced, and full of filler.......2007-03-08
I am disappointed with this book on a variety of levels. First of all, about half of it is devoted to Chinese history, which is not why one would buy such a book. One needs a "quick guide to customs and etiquette" to avoid social faux pas and to keep from accidentally offending people, not to learn about Chairman Mao's Long March. (The historical information is interesting, but sketchy at best, and shouldn't it be found in a different kind of book anyway?) It would seem that a whole bunch of this historical information has been added as filler to double the size of the book.
Secondly, somehow the discussion of how foreigners are viewed by the Chinese made me feel vaguely uncomfortable, and I am not sure why. There was just something awkward there. (Maybe I just don't like stereotyping..?)
Thirdly, while there is discussion of customs there is a dirth of "watch out for this" warnings. For example, we are warned that the Chinese view blowing the nose as being somewhat gross, so if you have to do that, leave the room. This is the kind of information that visitors need - no one likes rude folks, but it's hard sometimes to know what is considered rude in another country.
Fourth, there is lots of other kinds of filler besides the historical information - like spending two whole pages explaining that cell phones have been very quickly and widely embraced in China, and how it was in the bad old days, like ten years ago. (Who cares...)
Finally, the author seems to suddenly switch over in the last quarter of the book from giving advice to the tourist to giving advice to the business person, and goes on and on for pages and pages and pages about how to behave at a business banquet. Then she says that such banquets are becoming increasingly rare. So why did we just waste all that space talking about them??? Sigh....
Save your money, and look up "Chinese customs and etiquette" on Google.
good for overview/general information.......2006-02-23
This little book has a lot of necessary information and was useful to me while I prepared to study abroad in China. I wish it had a bit more phrases in the back, but found it was a great starting place if you want to know about China in an introductory or general way.
Author seems naïve about the Chinese language.......2005-12-01
Generally this guide will be helpful to any traveller wishing to garner a cultural appreciation of China.
However, two points regarding the language must be made. Page 160 says "A working knowledge of a mere 3,000 [Chinese characters] gives you a mastery of most menus and street signs; if you want to read the newspapers you will need about 7,000." More accurately, with 3,000 Chinese characters you probably know as many as the poorer of the Chinese locals, can read 90% of what you read in the newspaper and will have absolutely no problem with any street sign nor menu.
Also, page 170-170 discusses the dilemma a foreign teacher had when wishing to buy a dice (die, as in a six-sided gambling/gaming cube) the people s/he was with prior to setting out didn't know the character, except for one very old man who wrote the character down. On reaching the shop the shopkeepers didn't understand that character! However, a simple check of a dictionary will reveal that the word for dice is "shaizi", which comprises 2 very simple characters, the first, "shai", just 6 strokes, being the same as "se" (colour), only pronounced differently. The second, zi, is only 3 strokes and is an extremely common character added to many nouns.
When I consider her layperson's purposes, I don't really blame the author for this misinformation. It is only a travel guide, and a reasonable one at that. However, possibly for information about the language of a country we need to speak to a broader cross-section of those in the know.
Culture Smart! China: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette.......2005-09-11
Love it! Informative, brief and with a sense of humor.
Stuff you can find elsewhere for free.......2005-08-24
Folks... this is the most basic of travel books. It skims over the history of China and then offers a few tips at the end of the chapter. The pronounciation guide is worthless at it does not begin to descibe how a person who was not educated in China would attempt the complicated sounds of Mandarin. The place names are spelled with traditional Chinese spelling... which is great unless one is purchasing this book as a guide in the first place. The Culture Shock! series by the same publisher is far more helpful to the Western traveler! Save your money!
Average customer rating:
- Don't miss Missing Abby
- Mysterious, Thriller, Comedy, Love all put into one great package!
- wow!
- Great Book!!!
- Great Book!
|
Missing Abby
Lee Weatherly
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General
| Family Life
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
School
| Issues
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
School
| Issues
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Family Life
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Serious Kiss
-
The Bridesmaid
-
Drums, Girls, And Dangerous Pie
-
Code Orange (Readers Circle)
-
Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1)
ASIN: 0553494880
Release Date: 2006-11-14 |
Book Description
WHEN 13-YEAR-OLD EMMA bumps into her old friend Abby on the bus one Saturday afternoon, she later realizes that she was the last person to see Abby before her mysterious disappearance. Amidst the media frenzy and everyone’s struggle to come to terms with the possibility of Abby’s death, Emma starts a terrifying journey of her very own, as she uncovers things that lead to a discovery even the police have not thought of. . . .
From the acclaimed author of Child X comes a thrilling and memorable novel for readers of all abilities.
Praise for Child X:
“It is compelling, heartfelt, and sadly, totally believable. British slang will not deter the reader from racing through this gripping tale.”—VOYA, Starred
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Don't miss Missing Abby.......2007-03-30
Abby is missing long before she disappears at the beginning of Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly. Narrated by Abby's former-best-friend, Emma, the plot examines how their friendship deteriorated in the past while looking at the events surrounding Abby's disappearance in the present.
This novel, Weatherly's second, uses Abby's disappearance to tell Emma's story. The novel is told in chapters, one for each day after Abby is reported missing. As the story moves farther away from that day, the focus shifts from wondering what happened to Abby as readers begin to wonder what happened between the two girls. Because at thirteen, they are still girls--a fact that is not always obvious from the narration that seems to sound more like the voice of a seventeen-year-old.
Through a strange coincidence, Emma is the last person to see Abby before she gets off a local bus and vanishes. When Emma has to report everything she remembers about that day to the police she also starts to remember their old friendship. Anger often flares up through the worry Emma shows for Abby. Weatherly handles these conflicting emotions well, her narration making it clear that Abby is missed even while Emma is still angry with her.
Just why Emma is so angry at Abby is not clear until the last half of the story. Her reasons for ending the friendship are revealed in dribs and drabs that interrupt the regular narrative: "Freak. The word slithered into my mind, breaking the spell." Through these fragments readers can piece the girls' back-story together before Emma reveals the finer details.
Weatherly maintains a level of suspense throughout the story as Emma and Abby's friends try to learn what happened to her. Emma's cryptic references to "Balden" and "Karen Stipp" also draw readers further into Emma and Abby's past. At the same time, the plot remains necessarily one-sided as Abby never gets the chance to tell her experiences.
I really like the message of this story. How, interestingly, it is only after Abby goes missing that Emma is able to realize how precious Abby was as a friend and subsequently find herself again. The writing only falters at the end, where Weatherly seems desperate to neatly tie up the loose ends of a story that was never clear-cut or neat.
Mysterious, Thriller, Comedy, Love all put into one great package!.......2007-02-27
This book is amazing! The book simply blows me away with the thriling cliff hangers, the beautiful love story between two characters, the mystery behind Abby's dissapearance, and the comedy behind the embarrassing mistakes Emma makes. This book made me feel sorry for Emma but also despise her at the same time. This incredible book made me realize to treasure the most important things in life because you do not know what you have until it is gone. Everyone between the ages of 12-14 should read this book!
wow!.......2007-01-08
this book blew me away. I was the character, suffered her torture, squirmed and tried to wriggle away. if you want to sob your heart out and feel fantastic afterwards read this book. the characters have stayed in my head and I'm not letting them leave! Great book.
Great Book!!!.......2006-11-23
I love mystery books, so when I read Missing Abby I was thrilled. This book covers all of the true problems of peer preasure and other teen issues. It's very suspenseful and it keeps your attention. I would definently consider this a MUST READ book!
Great Book!.......2006-04-05
I think that Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly is an excellent book. The tale of Emma's search for her old best friend is heartbreaking. The book leads you on always hoping that Abby will turn up. The ending was very surprising to me and I didn't see it coming. The only problem I had with this book is that the ending isn't that exciting. I fully support this book being on the Lone Star Book List for 2006-2007. This would be a great book for anyone who likes ChickLit books but also enjoys a sadder plot. Also this book can appeal to boys and girls so it's a good candidate for a book list.
Average customer rating:
|
Biological Magnetic Resonance: Volume 19: Distance Measurements in Biological Systems by EPR (Biological Magnetic Resonance)
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Biochemistry
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Research
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physical & Theoretical
| Chemistry
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Radiologic & Ultrasound Technology
| Allied Health Professions
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Biochemistry
| Basic Science
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Radiology
| Specialties
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Biochemistry
| Bioengineering
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Biochemistry
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Physical & Theoretical
| Chemistry
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Biochemistry
| Basic Sciences
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Radiology
| Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mathematics
| Sciences
| New & Used Textbooks
| Stores
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Engineering
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0306465337 |
Book Description
The foundation for understanding the function and dynamics of biological systems is knowledge of their structure. Many experimental methodologies are used for determination of structure, each with special utilities. The volumes in this series on
Biological Magnetic
Resonance emphasize the methods that involve magnetic resonance. This volume seeks to provide a critical evaluation of EPR methods for determining the distances between two unpaired electrons. The editors invited the authors to make this a very practical book, with specific numerical examples of how experimental data are worked up to produce a distance estimate, and realistic assessments of uncertainties and of the range of applicability, along with examples of the power of the technique to answer biological problems.
Average customer rating:
|
Oxocarbons
Manufacturer: Academic Press Inc.,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General & Reference
| Chemistry
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Organic
| Chemistry
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0127445803 |
Average customer rating:
|
Multiscale Problems and Methods in Numerical Simulations: Lectures given at the C.I.M.E. Summer School held in Martina Franca, Italy, September 9-15, 2001 ... Mathematics / Fondazione C.I.M.E., Firenze)
James H. Bramble ,
Albert Cohen , and
Wolfgang Dahmen
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematical Analysis
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Number Systems
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Number Theory
| Pure Mathematics
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Applied
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematical Analysis
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Number Systems
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Number Theory
| Pure Mathematics
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 3540200991 |
Book Description
This volume aims to disseminate a number of new ideas that have emerged in the last few years in the field of numerical simulation, all bearing the common denominator of the "multiscale" or "multilevel" paradigm. This covers the presence of multiple relevant "scales" in a physical phenomenon; the detection and representation of "structures", localized in space or in frequency, in the solution of a mathematical model; the decomposition of a function into "details" that can be organized and accessed in decreasing order of importance; and the iterative solution of systems of linear algebraic equations using "multilevel" decompositions of finite dimensional spaces.
Average customer rating:
|
Wavelets in Numerical Simulation
Karsten Urban
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Applied
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Probability & Statistics
| Applied
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Calculus
| Pure Mathematics
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Functional Analysis
| Pure Mathematics
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Infinity
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Number Systems
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Applied
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Statistics
| Applied
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematical Analysis
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Number Systems
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Functional Analysis
| Pure Mathematics
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 3540430555 |
Book Description
This research monograph addresses recent developments of wavelet concepts in the context of large scale numerical simulation. It offers a systematic attempt to exploit the sophistication of wavelets as a numerical tool by adapting wavelet bases to the problem at hand. This includes both the construction of wavelets on fairly general domains and the adaptation of wavelet bases to the particular structure of function spaces governing certain variational problems. Those key features of wavelets that make them a powerful tool in numerical analysis and simulation are clearly pointed out. The particular constructions are guided by the ultimate goal to ensure the key features also for general domains and problem classes. All constructions are illustrated by figures and examples are given.
Customer Reviews:
Mr. CRISPIN IN FINE FORM.......2004-01-05
Edmund Crispin(Robert Montgomery) wrote a seriesof novels featuring Gervase Fen, amateur detective extrodinaire, whose full-time job was teaching classical literature to students at Oxford. Gervase always has the time to to be a "consultant" to the police force when murders occur. This time it is the murder of a series of individuals who had wronged a young lady to the point where she kills herself. In the process of solving the case, alolng with the classical-minded police chief, aptly named Humbleby, the reader is introduced to various eccengtric characters, very well-defined. Gervase makes classical allusions throughojut the novel, which are a delight. The book iks at once funny,literate, but also a mujrdr mystery. You will not guess the villain. TGhe book has a surprising ending, which you won't see coming. Mr. Crispin is similar to Agatha Christie in that he doesn't "pull any rabbits out of the hat"; the clues are there and if you can recognise them you'll solve he mystery. But, as with Ms. Christie you won't. This is a delightful book, which has as its 'set', so to speak the filming of a movie about Alexander Pope, of all people. Anyone knowledgeable about the life of Pope will see that the hilarity begins right there. A wonderful relief from the grisly novels of the likes of Patterson, P.D. James, and their elk. A good book to read in the country, outside under a fragrant tree, Finally,did you know that mazez aren't that difficult to get out of? Read this wonderful novel and you'll find out why.
An Easy Working Relationship.......2002-07-16
Gervase Fen is a Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford and an amateur detective who is advising a film company about a movie being made in Long Fulton, near London. Inspector Humbleby of New Scotland Yard visits the movie location while investigating the suicide of a young actress, Gloria Scott, who has jumped off Waterloo Bridge. Although her stage name is known, Gloria's real identity is a mystery and someone removes all identity marks from the personal belongings in her room.
Humbleby and Fen fall again into the easy working relationship they had begun during a previous case in 1947. FREQUENT HEARSES is an entertaining detective novel.
Vintage British mystery with a 'classical education'.......2001-03-08
If I had to rank my favorite British mystery authors who produced their best work in the 1930s through the 1950s, my list would look like this:
(1) Edmund Crispin a.k.a. Bruce Montgomery (2) Michael Innes a.k.a. John Innes Mackintosh Stewart (3) Dorothy Sayers (4) Margery Allingham (5) Michael Innes a.k.a. John Innes Mackintosh Stewart (with a drop in rank for his mysteries that went off the surreal deep-end).
Out of my Fab Four Brits, Michael Innes and Edmund Crispin have the most in common. They were both of Scots-Irish background, both wrote their mysteries under pseudonyms while teaching at college, and both were educated at Oxford -- Oriel College and St. John's College, respectively. They both wrote highly literate mysteries with frequent allusions to the classics (nine out of ten of which go zooming right over my head). Michael Innes has his detective, Sir John Appleby poke fun at this high-brow type of murder fiction in "Death at the Chase":
"That's why detective stories are of no interest to policemen. Their villains remain far too consistently cerebral."
Expect that even the most vicious murderer in an Edmund Crispin mystery will quote Dryden or Shakespeare at the drop of a garrote. "Frequent Hearses" is a fertile setting for this type of classical badinage, since its plot involves the making of a film based on the biography of Alexander Pope. Gervase Fen, Oxford don of English Language and Literature, and amateur detective extraordinaire is hired by the film company as a story consultant, and he is plagued throughout the book by a Scotland Yard detective who is an amateur classics scholar. Fen wants to discuss the murder. Chief Inspector Humbleby wants to talk about the Brontes and Dr. Johnson. Neither man will admit to a less than perfect understanding of either his profession or his hobby, and both despise amateurs. Their encounters keep "Frequent Hearses" sparkling along right up until its final page. ...All of Crispin's characters are carefully (one might say 'crisply') developed, and distinguished for the reader by a quirk or eccentric manner of speech (sometimes Crispin overplays the eccentricity at the expense of realism, especially with his main protagonist-- I do wish Fen would stop expostulating, "Oh, my fur and whiskers!"). Physical description is sketchy. If one of Crispin's characters walked past you in the street, you probably wouldn't recognize him. However, if you were to overhear his conversation with the postman---
And I don't mean to imply that "Frequent Hearses" is all dialogue and no action...
The mystery surrounding the murderer's identity and motivation is as cleverly convoluted as the maze, and it is equally as hard to get to its heart. The author's red herrings are logically constructed and I always go snapping after them, even after a second or third reading... Crispin himself wrote and published at least one film script and composed music for several films, so "Frequent Hearses" is told with the knowledge of a movie industry insider...
If you like vintage British mysteries with a 'classical education' and haven't yet discovered the 'Professor Fen' novels, then you're in for a treat... Here are all eleven of the Fen mysteries, in case you jump into 'Frequent Hearses' and want to keep going:
The Case of the Gilded Fly (1944), Holy Disorder (1945), The Moving Toyshop (1946), Swan Song (1947), Love Lies Bleeding (1948), Buried for Pleasure (1948), Frequent Hearses (1950), The Long Divorce (1952), Beware of the Trains (1953), Glimpses of the Moon (1978), Fen Country (1979) - short stories
Product Description
Violence, crime, mysteries galore and, of course, death; a rich dish of three detective stories; all told skilfully.
Customer Reviews:
A clever spoof of biopics.......2004-11-15
This was the one where Fen is hired as a consultant on a British film biopic, the life of Pope, here called "The Unfortunate Lady," and while doing so he stumbles into the case of Gloria Scott. No, not the famous Sherlock Holmes story--oddly no one notices that the poor starlet has taken her screen name from Conan Doyle--in this story Gloria Scott is a shrewish, ambitious, obsessed young woman who resembles Eve in ALL ABOUT EVE, only she comes to an end worse than that endured by Eve and eventually Fen and others realize that, bad as she was, she didn't deserve the rough treatment dealt to her by this one family prominent in UK films--a screenwriter, a leading lady, a director, all brothers and sisters, all of them poisonous, and each one then dealt a blow of revenge by someone who, or so it seems, seeks to avenge himself for the way the unfortunate Gloria Scott ended up--throwing herself from a bridge in full view of dozens of people, including apparently the murderer. The film studio seemed like it was based on Gainsborough Pictures, and the kind of movie they were making could have starred Dirk Bogarde, James Mason, Margaret Lockwood, Phyllis Calvert, Patricia Roc, and that these were the stars who made walkthroughs into the plot of FREQUENT HEARSES (changed a bit due to libel laws).
It is a very grim story, and the little bits of humor that surround it don't fit in especially well with the downbeat storyline. I felt that Crispin was trying very hard to make a satire on the way that film biographies frequently depart quite far from the realities of the life of the person they're supposedly attempting to capture, and then there was this other sort of Zola story of Gloria Scott, and the two elements of the story never really matched up for me. But that's my personal view and others may admire Crispin's indisputable urbanity and cleverness.
The best of the Golden Age of British mystery.......2001-06-04
If I had to rank my favorite British mystery authors who produced their best work in the 1930s through the 1950s, my list would look like this:
(1) Edmund Crispin a.k.a. Bruce Montgomery (2) Michael Innes a.k.a. John Innes Mackintosh Stewart (3) Dorothy Sayers (4) Margery Allingham (5) Michael Innes a.k.a. John Innes Mackintosh Stewart (with a drop in rank for his mysteries that went off the surreal deep-end).
Out of my Fab Four Brits, Michael Innes and Edmund Crispin share the most similarities. They were both of Scots-Irish background, both wrote their mysteries under pseudonyms while teaching at college, and both were educated at Oxford -- Oriel College and St. John's College, respectively. They both wrote highly literate mysteries with frequent allusions to the classics (nine out of ten of which go zooming right over my head). Michael Innes has his detective, Sir John Appleby poke fun at this high-brow type of murder fiction in "Death at the Chase":
"That's why detective stories are of no interest to policemen. Their villains remain far too consistently cerebral."
Expect that even the most vicious murderer in an Edmund Crispin mystery will quote Dryden or Shakespeare at the drop of a garrote. "Frequent Hearses" is a fertile setting for this type of classical badinage, since its plot involves the making of a film based on the biography of Alexander Pope. Gervase Fen, Oxford don of English Language and Literature, and amateur detective extraordinaire is hired by the film company as a story consultant, and he is plagued throughout the book by a Scotland Yard detective who is an amateur classics scholar. Fen wants to discuss the murder. Chief Inspector Humbleby wants to talk about the Brontes and Dr. Johnson. Neither one will admit to a less than perfect understanding of either his profession or his hobby, and both despise amateurs. Their encounters keep "Frequent Hearses" sparkling along right up until its final page. Here is a sample of dialogue, wherein Inspector Humbleby deliberately misunderstands Fen's explanation of the film's subject:
"Based," Fen reiterated irritably, "on the life of Pope."
"The Pope?"
"Pope."
"Now which Pope would that be, I wonder?" said Humbleby, with the air of one who tries to take an intelligent interest in what is going forward. "Pius, or Clement, or--"
Fen stared at him. "Alexander, of course."
"You mean"---Humbleby spoke with something of an effort---"you mean the Borgia?"
All of Crispin's characters are carefully (one might say 'crisply') developed, and distinguished for the reader by a quirk or eccentric manner of speech (sometimes Crispin overplays the eccentricity at the expense of realism, especially with his main protagonist-- I do wish Fen would stop expostulating, "Oh, my fur and whiskers!"). Physical description is sketchy. If one of Crispin's characters walked past you in the street, you probably wouldn't recognize him. However, if you were to overhear his conversation with the postman---
And I don't mean to imply that "Frequent Hearses" is all dialogue and no action. There is one especially harrowing scene where a young woman chases the murderer into a maze in order to learn his identity and then (when reason returns) can't find her way back out again. By the time Fen rescues her, she has endured an experience right out of an M.R. James horror story (in fact, the young woman quotes M.R. James at length while she is traversing the maze - a typical Crispin characteristic).
The mystery surrounding the murderer's identity and motivation is as cleverly convoluted as the maze, and it is equally as hard to get to its heart. Crispin himself wrote and published at least one film script and composed music for several films, so "Frequent Hearses" is told with the knowledge of a movie industry insider.
If you like vintage British mysteries with a 'classical education' and haven't yet discovered the 'Professor Fen' novels, then you're in for a treat-- assuming you can find these out-of-print volumes. Here are all nine of the Fen mysteries plus two collections of short stories, in case you jump into 'Frequent Hearses' and want to keep going:
"The Case of the Gilded Fly" ("Obsequies at Oxford"), 1944; "Holy Disorders", 1945; "The Moving Toyshop", 1946; "Swan Song" ("Dead and Dumb"), 1947; "Love Lies Bleeding", 1948; "Buried for Pleasure", 1948; "Frequent Hearses", 1950; "The Long Divorce", 1952; "Beware of the Trains", 1953 (short stories); "The Glimpses of the Moon", 1978; "Fen Country", 1979 (short stories).
Product Description
multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
Books:
- Primer of Applied Regression & Analysis of Variance
- Problem Snake Management: The Habu and Brown Treesnake (Comstock Books)
- Reflections on the Neches: A Naturalist's Odyssey Along the Big Thicket's Snow River (Temple Big Thicket Series, No. 3)
- Riparian Areas of the Southwestern United States: Hydrology, Ecology, and Management
- River Of Cliffs: A Linville Gorge Reader
- Seasons of the Salt Marsh
- Secrets of the Ice Ages: The Role of the Mediterranean Sea in Climate Change
- Simon & Schuster's Guide to Pet Birds
- Simon & Schuster's Pocket Guide to Wilderness Medicine
- Sonoran Desert Spring
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- All But My Life: A Memoir
- Think and Grow Rich!: The Original Version, Restored and Revised
- Too Far to Go
- The Rings of the Master: Book 2: Pirates of the Thunder
- The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
- The Structure of Materials
- War before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage
- The Ecological Approach To Visual Perception
- Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations One School at a Time
- Foliage for Year Round Colour
