Solutions for an Environment in Peril

Book Description

Mounting evidence points to the dangers of climate change, the depletion of clean fresh water and rich topsoil, the transformation of vast tracts of forest into wastelands, and the eradication of countless thousands of species of animals and plants. These and other adverse processes are occurring throughout the world, at an ever accelerating pace.

Solutions for an Environment in Peril collects the wisdom of some of the most influential men and women who are working both to reverse this global trend and to encourage others to help. In original essays--based on seminars they gave at the Environmental Protection Agency--these environmental leaders and thinkers assess the most important environmental problems and propose solutions for the future.

Contributors: Kathryn Fuller Â• Senator Gaylord Nelson Â• Garrett Hardin Â• Ben Wattenberg Â• William Ruckelshaus Â• David Brower Â• Jon Rousch Â• William H. Meadows Â• Ted Turner Â• Thomas Lovejoy Â• Amory Lovins Â• Fred Smith Â• Jerry D. Mahlman Â• Senator Max Baucus Â• Vincent Covello Â• Peter Sandman Â• Jane Goodall

Book Description

An unparalleled introduction to Jaipur a hot travel destination for Americana and European tourists in India

Customer Reviews:

The past is reborn!.......2000-12-19

Being a Rajput whose father is from the Jaipur dynasty, I was very impressed with this book. Like the latest book (please refer to "Maharaj's Jewels"), I found this book very ornate with beautiful pictures and rich historical details. The book is full of facts and intersting tidbits a reader will find facinating. Like all table top books, this one will add integrity to one's collection...

excellent work.......1999-06-14

keep it up we must talk as i am a landscape photographer from india but in dubai uae we could work something together pl email me and see my books elements

Best Images on Jaipur.......1999-05-31

Jaipur: The Last Destination which was among the six books chosen by Christie's first catalog of art books under its Islamic/Oriental/Indian Section and recommended for its "stunning images." Published by St. Martin's Press in North America and I.B.Taurus in Europe, the book also received a national award from the Indian government, and has become a landmark in Indian art book publishing by having four reprints.

JAIPUR: THE LAST DESTINATION. Photography by Samar Singh Jodha

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JAIPUR: THE LAST DESTINATION. Photography by Samar Singh Jodha
Aman. Nath
Manufacturer: India Book House,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S12G9E

Book Description

In this broad and provocative collection of original essays on artificial intelligence today, eighteen distinguished scholars set out to explain why and how certain discoveries about the human brain have or have not been used by the AI community, and whether the AI endeavor has increased out, understanding of human cognition. Their exploration focuses on the many controversies and debates that continue to vitalize the field.

Contributors include Jack D. Cowan, Daniel C. Dennett, Hubert L. Dreyfus, Stuart E. Dreyfus, Gerald M. Edelman, W. Daniel Hillis, Anya Hurlbert, John McCarthy, Pamela McCorduck, Seymour Papert, Tomaso Poggio, Hilary Putnam, George N. Reeke Jr, Jacob T. Schwartz, David H. Sharp, Robert Sokolowski, Sherry Turkle, and David L. Waltz.

Customer Reviews:

Genuine Insight.......2001-06-20

If you want to understand the fundamental issues related to the issue of artifical intelligence, especially relating to the war between the formal systems advocates and the neural network folks, this book is invaluable. It is a collection of compelling essays by some of the brightest and/or most lauded researchers in the field.

One essay rips apart the seams of the phenomological challenges of making a generally intelligent system and explained why (in 1988) that the attempt was doomed to failure, at least for the foreseable future.

The sad fact is, there are still people like Steven Pinkert who continue to repeat the "Symbol System Hypothesis" with religious fervor. If you read and understand Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus's essay "Making a mind vs Modeling a Brain" you will come to understand why Artificial Intelligence has failed its promise for more than 30 years and why it is such an incredibly difficult problem to solve.

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Another Winner by Robert McCutcheon!

The False Start
Robert, McCutcheon
Manufacturer: Bellissima Publishing LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Sports | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Starting Block

ASIN: 0979400619

Book Description

Robert McCutcheon continues the Flipturn Series with his second book, 'The False Start'. Teddy faces continuing conflict with his inner self and the outside world. Sometimes life is full of stops and starts and lines you wonder if you should cross, and Teddy's life seems to be filled with these things right now. Billy surprises Teddy with a trip to a hidden local swimming hole, and Teddy is amazed at what he finds there. His relationship with Cindy moves to the next level, and he has an unexpected encounter with a strange girl who he decides is pretty. Teddy has banned himself from swimming for now because of his shoulder injury, but he is still cheering for his team. Find out what happens when his brothers face Progar a second time in the relay re-match, and find out if Billy redeems himself and whether the team wins the swim meet. Robert McCutcheon, Phd, has degrees in English from Duke, Oxford and Stanford and teaches at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia where he can be found most days at noon in the pool. This book is also available in soft cover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Another Winner by Robert McCutcheon!.......2007-06-30

Find out why this book is called "The False Start" and continue to follow the lives of Teddy and his brothers who swim and compete and face life and all its pleasures and fears. The series continues to intrigue me, and I am going to be looking for additional books by this writer, expecially since I was left with a cliff hanger ending that left me wanting to read more. It is like a modern day 'Hardy Boys' book. I loved it. This book will serve the test of time well because the concepts addressed are universal to everyone. The Starting Block

False Start: How The New Browns Were Set Up To Fail

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Run of the mill book as far as enjoyment value
A compilation of previous material
ANOTHER GREAT BOOK BY TERRY PLUTO
False Start
great book for true browns fans

False Start: How The New Browns Were Set Up To Fail
Terry Pluto
Manufacturer: Gray & Company Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Sports | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1886228884

Book Description

It was supposed to be the dawn of a grand new era of football in Cleveland. Instead, it was a rude wakeup call. When the new Cleveland Browns took the field in 1999, legions of loyal fans—once heartsick, abandoned, and disgusted at the loss of their team in 1995—were ready to forgive the past and embrace the future . . . a new owner, a new team, a new stadium. They just wanted their Browns back. They didn't get what they bargained for. In the five years since a new team called the Browns arrived to play on Cleveland's lakefront, this has become clear: Browns fans got a bum deal. The NFL traded one of the most storied teams in football history for a franchise mired in mediocrity. These were the fans who, after owner Art Modell skipped town with their beloved Browns, became the only fans ever to take on the NFL, demand their team back—and win. Yet while they were celebrating the supposed victory that kept "our name, our colors, our team" in Cleveland, fans should have been looking over their shoulders and keeping a close watch on the NFL. There would be few reasons to celebrate in the years to come. In this book, award-winning sportswriter, Terry Pluto takes a hard look at the first five years of the new Cleveland Browns franchise and doesn't like what he sees. Pluto chronicles the backroom deals, big-money power plays, poor decisions, and plain bad luck that have dogged the new Browns franchise since its inception. Browns fans still stand by, waiting for a return to glory. How much longer must they wait? Pluto sifts through the clues from past seasons and looks for answers. This frank analysis will offer fans some solace along with an explanation for their misery.

Customer Reviews:

Run of the mill book as far as enjoyment value.......2006-11-01

Basically the Browns:

1) Weren't given enough time to prepare for their initial season;

2) The expansion draft rules were < favorable than 1995;

3) Carmen Policy had no frame of reference on running an expansion team and he was overrated because he fell into a good situation in SF where Walsh did all the heavy lifting;

4) Dwight Clark was over his head as GM;

5) Because of the short time before their initial season the candidate field for head coach was limited unless they wanted a college coach;

6) Brain Billick didn't want to coach an expansion team, nor did any other perhaps better qualified coaches. The Browns were desperate for a head coach and tried to pressure Billick into the job;

7) Because of the constraints placed on hiring other NFL assistant coaches, Chris Palmer's pool of NFL assistants was limited to coaches who had been fired from NFL jobs; and,

8) Did some lousy drafting.

That's just about it.

A compilation of previous material.......2005-12-05

For those who are looking for new material on the birth of the new Browns, forget this book.

Terry Pluto, a long-time columnist for the Akron (OH) Beacon-Journal newspaper, takes the lazy way in spinning his conspiracy theory on how the new Browns were doomed to fail due to league officials literally tossing dog biscuits to Cleveland's political leaders, competing ownership groups and fans who demanded a new franchise when the team relocated to Baltimore.

One should expect that a journalist with the years of experience like Pluto would pen a book based on new information or new angles to previously published information. Instead, he covers old ground through old columns; simply a cheap "best of" format.

Time doesn't stand still, but for Pluto it had to so his theories would hold up in this thin book. Soon after False Start was published, an expose on the anatomy of the new franchise appeared in the sports section in The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. It used tangible statistical information culled from other expansion periods (Carolina & Jacksonville, Houston) which should have put to rest the fiction that many feel is fact concerning the new Browns.

But Pluto as a columnist in the period covered in the book and Pluto as a columnist today will continue to play the everyman's victim card with the Browns. It is much too late in the game for him to turn back toward the field filled with the truth.

Heck, in a year or so he may even get another book deal out of it.

ANOTHER GREAT BOOK BY TERRY PLUTO.......2005-09-03

THIS IS A VERY SHORT YET DETAILED STORY CONCERNING THE CURRENT ADDITION OF THE CLEVELAND BROWNS. MR PLUTO STARTS FROM WHEN ART MODELL MOVED THE TEAM AND ENDS WITH THE RESIGNATION OF CARMEN POLICY RIGHT BEFORE THE START OF THE 2004 SEASON. HE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS, ESPECIALLY THE MANY BLUNDERS FROM CARMEN POLICY AND DWIGHT CLARK. THE TEAM WAS DOOMED FROM THE START, LITTLE TIME FOR PREPARATION THE MAIN PROBLEM. THEN THE MANY DRAFTS THAT WERE OF NO HELP TO THE HIRING OF BUTCH DAVIS. CARMEN POLICY PUT ALOT OF TRUST IN PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB AND HE TOOK A QUICK EXIT AND RETURNED TO WINE COUNTRY IN CALIFORNIA WHERE HE SHOULD STAYED IN THE FIRST PLACE. NOW BUTCH DAVIS HAS BEEN FIRED AND A NEW REGIME IS IN CHARGE NOW. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ALL BROWNS FANS AND FANS OF FOOTBALL TEAMS WHO START OR HAVE STARTED AS AN EXPANSION TEAM. TERRY TAKES HIS SHOT AT THE NFL GREEDY OWNERS AND IS 100 % CORRECT IS HIS ASSESSMENT THAT ALL THEY ARE INTERESTED IN IS $$$$$$$$. A MUST READ.

False Start.......2005-03-17

A very light, superficial account of the new Browns. Terry Pluto is one of my favorite writers because he lacks any pretension, but I expected more from this book.

There was obviously little heavy research that went into the story, other than a few interviews with the major players. The page count was fleshed out by dozens of only slightly interesting anecdotes from Browns' fans. Pluto also quoted liberally from his past columns.

Pluto's done better, and I'm sure he knows it, too.

great book for true browns fans.......2005-01-13

Terry Pluto has proven again why he is the top sports journalist in northeastern ohio..this book describes the ways Browns fan were ripped off and let down by the NFL for giving us an inferior team @ higher costs..it's not a total negative read,it's just an honest assessment from someone who truly cares about the Browns.a must read for "True" Browns fans...

False starts: A memoir of San Quentin and other prisons

Average customer rating:

False Starts, by Malcolm Braly
Entirely Engaging First-Person Account
They don't get any more honest than Braly!

False starts: A memoir of San Quentin and other prisons
Malcolm Braly
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

On the Yard (New York Review Books Classics)

ASIN: 0316106143

Customer Reviews:

False Starts, by Malcolm Braly.......2004-01-12

Like the previous two reviewers, I salute Malcolm Braly for his superb writing. I read this book more than 25 years ago, when I, too, was teaching courses on criminal justice, and included the book as "recommended reading." It was very well-received by students. I haven't taught since 1992 (I am a recovering--oops, retired--lawyer) but I wonder if today's criminal justice professionals aren't more cynical and more committed to a "throw away the key" approach.

Braly was essential a small-time criminal who had trouble keeping out of trouble. Under modern "three strikes" laws, he'd never have gotten out. Abandoned by his parents, yet almost painfully understanding of their choices, he had to take what solace he could find, and the bad choices he made (unlike his parents' bad choices) hurt primarily himself.

It's hard to say how Malcolm Braly ultimately managed to break free of destructive behavior. He had few resources and little support from other people. Somehow he drew strength of character from within. I'd like to see today's prisoners read this book, at least those with the intellectual ability to do so, and to understand it, which probably means that many within the incarcerated population could not.

Most people --"civilians" as well as prisoners-- lack Braly's exquisite sensibility to feelings, his own and those of others. Yet human beings can learn, change, and grow, as Braly did. I highly recommend False Starts to everyone, not just to law enforcement or legal professionals.

Entirely Engaging First-Person Account.......2000-03-08

Many years ago I used this book as corrolary reading in a criminal justice course that I was teaching. Among my students were jailers, probation officers, a sheriff, a San Quentin correctional officer (sometimes referred to as a "prison guard")and others in the field of criminal justice. Although I had scheduled the book to be read during the course of the entire semester, virtually all of my students finished it on their own in the first couple of weeks. They found this to be a compelling and engrossing account of Braly's failed attempts to stay out of prison during most of his adult life, until he finally succeeded at leaving prison permanently behind at age 40. Braly described this book as his effort to understand why he seemingly sabotaged those attempts up to that point. The quality of his writing is superb, engrossing and compelling. No one reading this book will be surprised that, after finally succeeding in staying out of prison, he became an accomplished author and university professor of English. This is an excellent book, one that I have passed on to others as a gift.

They don't get any more honest than Braly!.......1998-12-29

This is an autobiography of the 18+ years Braly spent in various penal institutions. He is a brave man to recount in detail many things that happened to him, things that most would not admit. His style is poetic but not romantic. A must read for everyone curious about real prison life.

Nepad: Toward Africa's Development Or Another False Start?

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Nepad: Toward Africa's Development Or Another False Start?
Ian Taylor
Manufacturer: Lynne Rienner Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

Development & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1588263517

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False Start
John Francome
Manufacturer: Headline Book Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0747252904

Book Description

MysteryLarge Print EditionCharlie Patterson and Nick Ryder strike gold in their first season of training together: Kate Scanlan, the attractive boss of a local animal rescue center, has sent them a yearling who looks like their chance at hitting the big time. Sold to Major Patterson, Charlies stepfather, Willow Star defies her looks by establishing herself as one of the fastest of her age. But their hopes are dashed when the Major decides to sell her to another yard. What ensues is a tale of mystery in which Charlie is cornered by divided loyalties and must solve a murder to stay alive.

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False Start in Africa
Rene Dumont
Manufacturer: Andre Deutsch, London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CMZX6

After Reagan: False Starts, Missed Opportunities & New Beginnings (Fpi Papers in International Affairs)

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After Reagan: False Starts, Missed Opportunities & New Beginnings (Fpi Papers in International Affairs)
Simon Serfaty
Manufacturer: Univ Pr of Amer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 094170047X

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False Start
Gil Rabin
Manufacturer: Harpercollins Juvenile Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
ASIN: 0060248297

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False Start
Rabin
Manufacturer: Harper & Row Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I35S0G

Book Description

The emphasis throughout is on the genetic determinants of sex. The major issues addressed are sex chromosome differentiation, X-chromosome inactivation and the role of the Y-linked gene SRY in gonad differentiation. A combination of authoritative reviews and original articles drawn from experiment and observation on a variety of systems is complemented by the editors thoughtful introductions.
'Sex is compelling in its benefits, elegant in its conception, startling in its manifestations.' So begins this timely and thoughtful review of the most fascinating property of life. For centuries we have puzzled over the differences between males and females but only recently have we begun to understand the genetic switches that trigger the dramatic differences in form and function between the sexes. This book brings together contributions from many of the scientists who have been responsible for recent stunning advances in our understanding of sex determination and sexual differentiation. The editors have

Mammalian Sex Chromosomes and Sex-Determining Genes: An Evolutionary Perspective (Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit)

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Mammalian Sex Chromosomes and Sex-Determining Genes: An Evolutionary Perspective (Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit)
Jennifer A. Graves , and Andrew H. Sinclair
Manufacturer: Crc Pr I Llc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1879702754

Book Description

Photosensitization of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines covers the scentific background to porphyrins and phthalocyanines, and applications of the compounds, especially for the application for photosensitization. It also has a review of advances in research and applications in this field.

Coordination Compounds of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanine

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Coordination Compounds of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanine

Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1471278573

Book Description

The material for these volumes has been selected from the past twenty years' examination questions for graduate students at University of California at Berkeley, Columbia University, the University of Chicago, MIT, State University of New York at Buffalo, Princeton University and University of Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews:

good one ..helps.......2006-11-10

it is a good book..
though most of the problems solved are on the same pattern...

Useful beyond measure.......2002-10-07

All of these books titled "Problems and Solutions on (subject): Major American Universities Ph.D. Qualifying Questions and Solutions" are invaluable tools for a physics graduate student, in my experience.

One criticism: The index for this particular book is nonexistent. I am writing my own in my copy of the book.

If you are a student in physics, I suggest that you get your hands on these books.

Completely wonderful.......1999-10-29

The entire series is my savior. Each volume covers the material needed in the junior/senior level of physics. It truly has an emense selection of problems. I found that nearly all of my homework/exams were either exactly the same or merely a slight variation from one contained. I also have yet to find a single error, not even a sign error. One important thing is that it does need to be a supplement, as formulas are sometimes used without explicit reference to why. In general the reasons need to be found in an assigned text. My only gripe (and it is minor) is with the index...the index does not, in general, lead one to a relevent problem. For example, uses of Biot/Savart to solve this problem or that... The reason this is not a serious problem is that each topic has so many variations on the method/technique that it is simple enough to find at least a couple that are completely relevent. (given you know which section to look in)

This book was excellent preparation for the qualifying exam.......1999-03-17

Although I do not attend one of the schools from which these questions were taken, I found it an excellent review tool nonetheless. It has a great variety of problems, and the solutions include all major steps for the most part. Sometimes steps are skipped, but if this book is used to supplement any standard text on the subject it can be a very powerful and useful tool.

Solutions Manual for Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics

Average customer rating:

There are more answers online!!
One of the best
soso

Solutions Manual for Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics
David Chandler , and David Wu
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0195058895

Book Description

Professor Chandler and a colleague, David Wu, have prepared a solutions manual to Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics (Oxford 1987), to be used as an ancillary to the text. The instructive numerical work in the manual is an important supplement, because the material can only be learned by tackling the exercises. Methods of solution are provided for a majority of the problems.

Customer Reviews:

There are more answers online!!.......2006-09-14

This manual provides solutions to select problems only. I recommend the internet over buying this manual; you'll find more solutions there. Even Chandler recommends using other sources at the beginning of the text book.

One of the best.......2002-11-16

This book is really one of the better book on statistical physics. It is short and concise but it is impressive the amount of physics discussed in this book!
And the presentation is really modern.

soso.......1998-06-22

Don't get your hopes up too much. Not all of the problems are solved. The problems that are solved are solved OK but not always in the best way. Still, I'd buy this book all over again, since "Intro to stat mech" by Chandler is pretty cheap to begin with. Just think of it as paying for 1 book.

Solutions to problems of "Fundamentals of statistical and thermal physics", (McGraw-Hill series in fundamentals of physics)

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Solutions to problems of "Fundamentals of statistical and thermal physics", (McGraw-Hill series in fundamentals of physics)
F Reif
Manufacturer: McGraw Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Witty, irreverent tales of war and the supernatural from the maverick misanthrope of American literature.

Questing after Pancho Villa's revolutionary forces, Ambose Bierce rode into Mexico in 1913 and completely vanished off the face of the earth. Though his ultimate fate remains a mystery to this day, Bierce's contribution to American letters rests firmly on the basis of his incomparable Devil's Dictionary and a remarkable body of short fiction. This new collection gathers some three dozen of Bierce's finest stories, including the celebrated Civil War fictions "An Occurrence at Owl Creek" and "Chickamauga," his macabre masterpieces "The Damned Thing" and "Moxon's Master," and his hilariously horrific "Oil of Dog" and "My Favorite Murder."

Tom Quirk, the volume's editor, provides a fascinating introductory essay, as well as indispensable explanatory notes, a glossary of military terms, and a catalog of Civil War battle sites and leaders.

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Tom Quirk

Customer Reviews:

Tales for Soldiers and Civilians.......2002-04-20

A young northern soldier unknowingly kills his confederate father; a man is about to be hanged for tampering with a bridge during the Civil War but is freed when the rope breaks; a civilian finds a snake under his bed and freezes; and an invisible presence brutally kills a man. These are all plotlines from a few of the stories in Bierce's magnificent collection of short stories Tales of Soldiers and Civilians and Other Stories. They are guaranteed to keep the reader in suspense and awaiting the always surprising conclusion. For anyone who loves great writing and irony, check out this collection of stories.

An Excellent Collection of Stories!.......2000-11-03

I always wanted to get around to reading Ambrose Bierce. Known as an iconoclast and an excellent satirist, Bierce is best known for his Devil's Dictionary. He's also known for the disappearing act he pulled in Mexico in 1913. I decided to give this short anthology a chance. If I liked his stories, I figured I'd buy some more of his writings. I will be reading more of his writings.

The recent movie _The Blair Witch Project_ has brought scary stories back into vogue. After reading this book, I realized you can make a direct connection from this film to Ambrose Bierce. The connection would pass through Stephen King and H.P.Lovecraft along the way. I've seen things in both of these writers that could have been lifted directly out of one of Bierce's stories. In Bierce's story, "The Damned Thing", with its talk about colors that can and can't be seen, I could have sworn I was reading Lovecraft. Bierce is a master at quick twists and shocking violence, and delivers scares fast and furious. I got chills with several of these short stories, which certainly makes for good horror reading.

The book gives the reader a sample of Bierce's short stories. Most of the stories are tied around American Civil War themes, which is no surprise as Bierce served in the Union army during that conflict. His experiences gave him the necessary frame of reference to write these dark stories. And when I say dark, I mean DARK! Some of these tales will make your jaw drop. The violence in them is extremely unsettling. Chickamauga and Oil of Dog are sickening, describing blown open heads and dead babies in graphic detail.

Did I mention Bierce's prose? Some of the best you'll read. His prose is so amazing that I found myself rereading some of his passages just so I could make sure I was getting the full meaning. It is that rich and textured. It's also extremely funny in places. In the introduction it is written that Bierce lived in England for several years and was embraced by the English, who are masters not only of the language, but also insults. I'm not surprised when I look at how he writes. He can pen an insult that would bring tears of joy to an Englishman's eyes.

Book Description

Some of the most chilling and macabre tales in the English language can be attributed to American journalist and short story writer Ambrose Bierce. His books include "Can Such Things Be: Tales of Horror and the Supernatural", as well as "The Devil's Dictionary". He has also penned scathing views of frontier life and its lawlessness, and the most caustic treatises on war.

"In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians" represents Bierce's short stories written in and around the time of the Civil War. These include "A Horseman in the Sky", "Chickamauga", "The Applicant", "A Holy Terror", "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge"-- perhaps his most famous story of all,-- and 21 other disturbing tales. Their message about the horrors of war lives on vividly to this day.

Customer Reviews:

Bierce's Civil War Stories.......2006-01-24

This is a collection of short stories which Ambrose Bierce first published in 1891 under the title "Tales of Soldiers and Civilians" and later revised and renamed. The first part, "Soldiers", consists of 10 Civil War stories; the second, "Civilians" contains ghost stories and fantasy and humor.

The finest stories are those in the first section. Bierce served with distinction in the Civil War, rising to the rank of first lieutenant at 19 and resigning as a brevet major at age 23. He fought in several crucial battles, including Shiloh, Chickamauga, Kennesaw Mountain and Girard Hill. His war experiences had a lasting effect upon Bierce which shows in his writing. His war stories are among the best in the genre, each ringing with brutal realism and reading like an eyewitness account. Included here is Bierce's most famous short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", the unforgetable "Horseman in the Sky", "Death at Resaca", and the horrific "Chickamauga". These war stories haunt the reader as much and more than any ghost story.

Bierce's ghost stories also make very good reading. "The Boarded Window" is particularly good as is "The Inhabitant of Carcosa". Bierce wrote many more short stories than those in this collection. However, this book is a sampling of the very best of his short fiction.

Unforgettable collection.......2000-01-09

I was extremely impressed by these stories when I read them in April of 1951. The book was the best book read that year. I have selected a "best book read this year" each of the years of my reading life, and this book is the only collection of short stories which has ever won that accolade!

Tales of Soldiers and Civilians: And Other Stories (Penguin Classics)

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Tales of Soldiers and Civilians: And Other Stories (Penguin Classics)
Tom Quirk Ambrose Bierce
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJC5PA

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