Optimization in Economics and Finance: Some Advances in Non-Linear, Dynamic, Multi-Criteria and Stochastic Models (Dynamic Modeling and Econometrics in Economics and Finance)

Book Description

Many optimization questions arise in economics and finance; an important example of this is the society's choice of the optimum state of the economy (the social choice problem). Optimization in Economics and Finance extends and improves the usual optimization techniques, in a form that may be adopted for modeling social choice problems. Problems discussed include: when is an optimum reached; when is it unique; relaxation of the conventional convex (or concave) assumptions on an economic model; associated mathematical concepts such as invex and quasimax; multiobjective optimal control models; and related computational methods and programs. These techniques are applied to economic growth models (including small stochastic perturbations), finance and financial investment models (and the interaction between financial and production variables), modeling sustainability over long time horizons, boundary (transversality) conditions, and models with several conflicting objectives. Although the applications are general and illustrative, the models in this book provide examples of possible models for a society's social choice for an allocation that maximizes welfare and utilization of resources. As well as using existing computer programs for optimization of models, a new computer program, named SCOM, is presented in this book for computing social choice models by optimal control.

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Turbulent Change: Every Working Person's Survival Guide, by human resources professional Peter R. Garber, is a self-help manual for anyone facing corporate upheaval. Aimed at employees who must personally deal with the merging, reengineering, and paradigm-shifting that marks today's business world, it combines an upbeat but honest narrative with exercises that allow readers to explore their own feelings about change and then deal with them effectively. "You may not be able to do anything about the changes occurring in your organization, but you can do something about how you react to them," Garber writes. "Although this may seem like a small step, it's actually a giant leap toward changing your attitude about change and the impact it can have on your future." Chapters such as "Hearing the News," "Getting with the Program," and "Maintaining Your Momentum" present apocryphal tales of others facing representative situations along with constructive suggestions for handling them. A section on the dangers of burning one's bridges, for instance, recommends refraining from self-destructive behavior, placing events in long-term context, and strengthening relationships with others in the organization. It then offers a pair of questionnaires that help readers understand how they've tackled similar career hurdles in the past. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

Regardless of what name it goes by--realignment, restructuring, reengineering, or reinventing--organizational change affects people's lives, and they typically experience some level of fear, anger, or confusion.

Customer Reviews:

Turbulent Change: Every Working Person's Survival Guide.......2000-09-24

As an employee of a start-up company which is being bought out by a large corporation, turbulent change is the correct term for my workplace! All positive and negative aspects of the job changes currently occurring in my workplace were detailed in this book. The author speaks clearly and with authority concerning every aspect of change in the workplace. The text explains change theory, emotional and logical reactions to change, and how to develop a positive attitude toward change. I purchased 12 copies of this book for my fellow employees!

Turbulent Change: Every Working Person's Survival Guide.......2000-09-24

Amazon.com

"If there were something like a guidebook for living creatures, I think the first line would read like a biblical commandment: Make thy information larger. And next would come the guidelines for colonizing, in good imperialist fashion, the biggest chunk of negative entropy around."

Werner Loewenstein, a cell biologist at Woods Hole Biological Laboratories, has written a remarkably engaging book tying together information theory, thermodynamics, molecular biology, and the structure of cells. The subject is not one to which the human brain is well suited, but with Loewenstein's guidance you may get a better grasp on concepts like entropy than you've ever had before.

Loewenstein describes life as a circus: "Flowing in from the cosmos, information loops back onto itself to produce the circular information complex we call Life.... To those who are inside the Circus, it will always seem the greatest show on Earth, though I can't speak for the One who is outside it."

The Touchstone of Life covers some of the ground surveyed in Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach and Kauffman's At Home in the Universe, but with an even stronger sense of the physical realities constraining the "Circus." It should prove fascinating for anyone interested in biology, consciousness, physics, or the future of computing. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

No one can escape a sense of wonder when looking at an organism from within. From the humblest amoeba to man, from the smallest cell organelle to the amazing human brain, life presents us with example after example of highly ordered cellular matter, precisely organized and shaped to perform coordinated functions. But where does this order spring from? How does a living organism manage to do what nonliving things cannot do--bring forth and maintain all that order against the unrelenting, disordering pressures of the universe? In The Touchstone of Life, world-renowned biophysicist Werner Loewenstein seeks answers to these ancient riddles by applying information theory to recent discoveries in molecular biology. Taking us into a fascinating microscopic world, he lays bare an all-pervading communication network inside and between our cells--a web of extraordinary beauty, where molecular information flows in gracefully interlaced circles. Loewenstein then takes us on an exhilarating journey along that web and we meet its leading actors, the macromolecules, and see how they extract order out of the erratic quantum world; and through the powerful lens of information theory, we are let in on their trick, the most dazzling of magician's acts, whereby they steal form out of formlessness. The Touchstone of Life flashes with fresh insights into the mystery of life. Boldly straddling the line between biology and physics, the book offers a breathtaking view of that hidden world where molecular information turns the wheels of life. Loewenstein makes these complex scientific subjects lucid and fascinating, as he sheds light on the most fundamental aspects of our existence.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing portrayal of thermodynamics.......2007-09-12

Trying to find good books to review on cell biology just isn't easy, but I've been looking. Werner Loewenstein had an interestingly titled one published in 1999, that I thought sounded interesting: The Touchstone of Life: Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life. An intriguing combination of topics, I thought - especially the issues of cellular biochemistry and their origins.

Molecular "information" was dubious however. I gave Loewenstein the benefit of the doubt - maybe he could do better than the inept attempts to use concepts from information theory to explain biological phenomenon I had seen previously (e.g. Dembski's No Free Lunch). Could he explain how one could quantify the information content of an organic molecule better than the prevailing paradigm of organic chemistry, and in particular, the kinetics and thermodynamics of biochemical interactions and their effects?

Sadly, no.

Don't get me wrong, he portrays cell biology and evolutionary history accurately enough, but the concept of molecular information doesn't contribute anything. In fact, on page 9 and surrounding pages, he explicitly defines molecular information as a dimensionless inverse of entropy. And by taking away the scaling factor of entropy he sets the stage for a book-full of hand-waiving and sub-par qualitative explanations, when quantification would be much more precise.

For instance, on page 31, having gotten to the topic of "The Advantages of Molecular Complementarity," Loewenstein says:

"When we speak about the transmission of information from one molecule to another, we mean a transfer of information inherent in the molecular configuration - in the linear sequence of the unit structure or in the three-dimensional disposition of the atoms. Since molecules cannot talk or engage in other human forms of communication, their method of transmitting information is straightforward: the emitter molecule makes the atoms of the receiver deploy themselves in an analogue spatial pattern."

Anthropomorphize much? At best, this is an overuse of symbolism; at worst, it could fuel the naive interpretation that biomolecules possess some sort of intent or agency with which to decide to communicate (one step away from the invocation of deus ex machina or an intelligent capacity of molecules).

Loewenstein is also focused upon the thought experiment known as Maxwell's demon. While much has been said about that as a thought experiment, it has little grounding in the world of experimental biology. For instance, he compares Maxwell's demon to ion channels, cell surface receptors, and enzymes, yet has to resort to classical thermodynamics and kinetics in biochemistry to describe the functions of such proteins. There's no `choice' in such reactions, only chemical transition states and affinities, energy flow (often by ATP hydrolysis), and cascades of such reactions.

So yes, I'm rather disappointed with this book.

Flawed but interesting.......2007-01-09

I personally found this book very interesting because it was the first time I had seen the idea of information in biological systems discussed in a popular science book.

Usually when laymen think of information in biological systems, they are thinking of the way the brain processes information or the the way DNA stores it. But that is a different topic.

This book is about the rest of the information in any organism, which is stored in the arrangement of the complex molecules in the body which allows the organism to function. At some level, the body must "know" where all this stuff should be, and whether it is where it should be. Otherwise it couldn't repair itself or grow.

The amount of information involved is huge. This book is about where the information comes from and how it is collected. The information is gathered in tiny parcels in a massively parallel process consisting of chemical reactions.

One of the most interesting points of the book is that life is more interested in conserving information than anything else, including energy.

It's all very interesting, so why not five stars? Well, I am afraid the editors of this book really fell down on the job.

First, Loewenstein is a German, and it really shows. I am fluent in German, and I really wonder how people who aren't can even figure out what he is trying to say. A lot of the book reads like an amatuerish translation of German - which in fact it probably is.

Second, Loewenstein often loses track of the point he is trying to make, so that a sentence with an parenthetical remark is converted into a whole paragraph about something unimportant, with the original remark buried somewhere in it. What makes this worse is the fact that Loewenstein is often preoccupied with things that Germans talk about, but that English speakers need some backgraound information on to make sense of.

I sort of feel sorry for the author. With the right editor this could have been a pop sci blockbuster.

A popular myth.......2005-12-21

is perpetuated by this author that information is some sort of absolute as opposed to an effect measured by humans. This author, like many, starts with the wrong formula and this leads to the fundamental error in his theory that 'in the beginning there was information' (something like physicist John Wheeler's 'it from bit'). He writes "As for the origin of information, the fountainhead, this must lie somewhere in the territory close to the bang...Here things are still shrouded in the mist." Therefore the author explains the mystery of life by moving the mystery back to the 'Big Bang' and deeming everything to be consequential from there. By substituting one mystery for another however we are no further ahead. In addition he is wrong; he begins with the wrong (though popular) formula:
S = -(k.ln2).I
where S is the entropy [-kSum(p.lnp)], k is Boltzman's thermodynamic constant and I is supposedly the information which he has therefore defined as an absolute. However Shannon's syntatic information measure for communication theory is relative, it is a state function difference being the reduction of uncertainty to a receptor between a before and after measure of a change of system state. The word 'measure' means a human is involved somewhere along the steps. [e.g. if a computer is the measurer then guess who built it? This is not to deny that there is what we call information transfers at the molecular level which is better described as genetic instructions, a fact, whereas the mathematical measurer is human or human made. One must not confuse semantical information or meaning with syntatic probability measures, which the author notoriously does by describing information as a force.]
What the author refers to as information is actually the uncertainty and that Shannon designation is H, an entropy-like formula without the k (which is just a measure of units) and his (proper) information measure is R = Hbefore - Hafter (bits per operation). Many authors make this mistake (of using an absolute) and then argue that the most random state, such as an equilibrium state, has the most information. In fact it has the most uncertainty. This author makes the opposite argument and at least gets the potential comparison right when he writes that the equilibrium state has zero information whereas for instance particles crowded together out of equilibrium (such as gas first entering a container, or the Big Bang) have more information to an observer. However there is actually no information inherent in the 2 situations which is a state function difference as measured by an observer. This puts the mystery back with life itself, i.e. where did the observer come from? and not with information as being some mysterious force. So all such authors have it wrong which leads to hopeless philosophical debates. The proper state function difference equation is critical to the issue and not popularly known. However some authors who have it right have articles available on the web, such as the late 'father of communication theory', Claude Shannon and also biologist Richard Dawkins and molecular biologist Tom Schneider. One of the reviewers also critical of the book says there is no way to apply information theory to molecular biology as you would have to know all of the system's potential states. Dr Schneider explains in great depth at his website how by using the state difference formula, this is not true; you only need to know the system's changes with a logrithmatic measure.
A proper way to describe the author's comparative diagrams would be to say that if an observer measures the difference between the uncertainty to him/her at equilibrium vs the initial state then he will have a determined an amount of syntatic information because the equilibrium state has greater potential choices and hence uncertainty. If we move from the crowded particle initial state to an equilibrium state we do not lose information, the universe is not losing information since the Big Bang while overall entropy increases. Local observers of various phenomena are 'merrily' measuring positive information changes every day. There is no initial 'fountainhead of information' steadily dissipating, although there were instead unique conditions to the early universe and emergent properties to life. As author Irun Cohen writes in his book 'Tending Adam's Garden': "It is the spontaneous flow of energy that makes life (and our world) possible...Only a fraction of the energy is free energy that can be harnessed for work. Evolution is a contrivance for harnessing the energy of the dying sun..." Why does this happen? Author P.W. Atkins clarifies in his book 'The Second Law' that "the tendancy to fall to lower free energy must not be interpreted literally in terms of the falling down of energy. The Universe falls upward in entropy: that is the only law of spontaneous change. The free energy is, in fact, just a disguised form of the total entropy of the universe." But why is that? Author Roger Penrose has explained this a number of times including in his book 'The Road to Reality' that this is due to the unique initial gravitational conditions, perhaps an extremely unusual condition but not a 'fountainhead' of some 'all knowing' force. (This author borders on creationism with his faulty information measure; like some other authors such as W. Dembski.) Cohen continues: The clearest example of an emergent property is life itself. Life is not inherent in any single element constituing the living cell... What distinguishes the living from the dead? Nothing more than actions and interactions. Life emerges from inert matter as a consequence of metabolism, the continuous transfer of energy and information [instructions, we're not talking about the measure here] systematically packaged in cells in a way that leads to self-perpetuation...In a piece of amber there existed lifelessly for 35 million years, all of the components needed for life, but there was no life until the machinery actually began to interact...The process of evolution [on the other hand] is an emergent property of life." Obviously however we still do not have enough knowledge to understand how all of this works, maybe we never will.

The book about information economy of self-developing system.......2005-01-28

It has 16 pages of reference section, 7 pages of subject index.
Many figures, but almost all of them are from regular textbook (structure of DNA, protein etc). The book is about the information economy of self-developing system, and intercellular communication network.
Like many other authors in this field, Loewenstein is fascinated by the "information" in biological world. He says there is fundamentally deeper, connoting a cosmic principle of oraganization and order.
The book is way too long, but contains few novel idea. 333 pages with very small fonts. I didn't have time to finish it. Good editor could condense it to 1/10 of this volume.

A Snow Job.......2004-08-21

Full of prolix verbiage, intellectual snobbery, interesting similes and metaphors, and too many cliches, The Touchstone of Life is a "snow job". After struggling to read it even after the benefit of attending many seminars on molecular recognition which had the real biochemistry set out, I did not learn anything new.

Maxwell's Demon is presented (p4) as a contradiction of the second law of thermodydamics. A better description was easily found: http://www.auburn.edu/~smith01/notes/maxdem.htm
This also explains that the demon could not really succeed. Also, this website goves the better explanation of entropy as randomness, not disorder, which is the 19th century German explanation. I do not agree that Figure 1.4.4 contains less information than any of the others.
The author can certainly see the forest for the trees, in attempting a grand synthesis of string theory, quantum electrodynamics, thermodynamics, and molecular recognition. However, there was a serious set of failures to see the trees for the forest. For example, on p30, in the caption for Figure 3.1b, the carboxyl group is identified as COO-. Actually this is the carboxylate anion. A carboxyl group is COOH. An amino group is given as NH3+. In fact this is an ammonium group missing a bond. An amino group is -NH2. In Figure 4.1 on p59 the glutamine is shown with a C-NH3 group with the + charge missing. In this reaction there is ADP on the left with no ADP and Pi on the right. The plus signs are missing. In the caption the ammonium ion is given as NH3. This is quite wrong; it should have been NH4+.
On p60 in Figure 4.2 blue light is shown at 500 nm; in fact, 500 nm looks green. Ultraviolet light is shown as going from 0-290 nm; in fact, the usual definition is that it extends from 150-390 nm. The shorter wavelengths actually encompass Xrays, gamma rays and cosmic rays. The Figure 9.5 on p180 does a much better job with a logarithmic scale, but the ranges of UV and visible light are still odd.
The explanation for the DNA codes for amino acids, the 3-base groups, was very involved. The combinations of 4 DNA bases taken 3 at a time may be simply seen as the minimum information needed to distinguish between about 20 amino acids. Thus 4x3x2x1 = 24.
There must be a better source of understanding on molecular recognition than this.

The Touchstone of Life: Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life

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The Touchstone of Life: Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life
Werner R. Loewenstein
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKCDYC

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Book Description

Stories on Stage is a collection of reader's theater scripts for young readers, adapted from stories by fifteen different authors, including Louis Sachar, Nancy Farmer, and Roald Dahl. Coming from such genres as humor, fantasy, and multicultural folktales, stories were selected for their dramatic quality, literary value, and appeal to young people. The scripts may be freely copied, shared, and performed for noncommercial purposes. With a focus on ages 8 to 15, the collection features a wide range of reading levels. The scripts in this collection are -- "Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School," by Louis Sachar -- "Mr. Twit's Revenge," by Roald Dahl -- "Millions of Cats," by Wanda Gag -- "Tapiwa's Uncle," by Nancy Farmer -- "How Tom Beat Captain Najork," by Russell Hoban -- "Harriet," by Florence Parry Heide -- "Mr. Bim's Bamboo," by Carol Farley -- "Talk," by Harold Courlander -- "The Jade Stone," by Caryn Yacowitz -- "The Bean Boy," by Monica Shannon -- "The Kid from the Commercial," by Stephen Manes -- "The Fools of Chelm," by Steve Sanfield -- "Mouse Woman and the Snails," by Christie Harris -- "Westwoods," by Eleanor Farjeon -- "The Legend of Lightning Larry," by Aaron Shepard.

Customer Reviews:

Theatre Teachers: This Is What You Need.......2006-11-10

This book is formatted so easily, it took me MUCH less time than I thought it would to prepare a unit on reader's theatre for my class. I used it for my high school theatre class so they wouldn't have to concentrate on large vocabularies, but rather to deliver the story in a simple, easy way. It was a HUGE success of a project and this book made it possible. It tells you how long each story is, what cast you'll need, and what reading level it is!! Yay!!!
The stories themselves are entertaining (even for high school!!!), compelling, and really fun to work with. I am SO grateful I ordered this!

A Great Resource.......2006-01-11

Aaron Shepard is a generous contributor to the field of Reader's Theatre. This book is no exception. It's well-laid out and chock-full of interesting scripts. I've recommended to several folks interested in RT.

Clear and Helpful.......2006-01-11

This book was written in clear language. It was helpful to me as a novice.

Manes and Tails (Threshold Picture Guides)

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In my opinion

Manes and Tails (Threshold Picture Guides)
Valerie Watson
Manufacturer: Half Halt Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0901366323

Customer Reviews:

In my opinion.......2001-01-15

I think this book is very helpful because it shows in detail just how to braid, roach, and generally care for your horse's mane and tail. I would recomend this book to anyone that is a first time horse owner.

All About Manes and Tails (Allen Photographic Guides)

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All About Manes and Tails (Allen Photographic Guides)
Carolyn Henderson
Manufacturer: J. A. Allen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Manes and Tails (Threshold Picture Guides)

ASIN: 085131676X

Book Description

Brief, concise, and filled with helpful photos, this introductory guide provides essential information on manes and tails.

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Braiding Manes & Tails
Charni Lewis
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Storey's Barn Guide to Horse Handling and Grooming (Storys Barn Guide)

ASIN: 1580176992

Book Description

Next to riding, there's nothing horse people love more than to pamper and groom their horses. Particularly satisfying among grooming tasks, braiding manes and tails is a calming, centering routine, enjoyed equally by horse and rider. And, of course, handsome braids are a requirement for showing in many riding disciplines.

Horse trainer and instructor Charni Lewis brings the wonderful process of braiding to life in her clearly described, step-by-step guide to 30 beautiful braids. Helping the braider along are full-color photographs and detailed illustrations showing twists and turns that make each style unique and the hand positions necessary to hold those ropes of equine hair in place. To keep hands free for braiding, the book has a nail hole at the top of each page for easy hanging on a post or barn wall.

Lewis begins with detailed advice on choosing and using appropriate tools, preparing the horse, and creating a safe area in which to work. After a chapter on no-nonsense maintenance braids (used primarily to keep the horse neat and clean), she progresses through all the classic braids required for each riding discipline — from a Diamond dressage braid to the Three-ribbon style favored for gaited show horses. Finally, Lewis lets loose with braids that are simply fun to do. She encourages readers to experiment with a Scalloped Hunter mane braid or a Fourstrand Weave for the tail. They look gorgeous, and when the novelty wears off, there are many more to try!

Grooming: Clipping, Bathing, Mane Care, Tail Care, Show Preparation (Western Horseman Books)

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Grooming: Clipping, Bathing, Mane Care, Tail Care, Show Preparation (Western Horseman Books)
John Weaver , Cindy Weaver , and Kathy Kadash
Manufacturer: Western Horseman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Animal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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Grooming To Win: How to Groom, Trim, Braid and Prepare Your Horse for Show (Howell Reference Books)

ASIN: 0911647333

Cuidados De Colas Y Crines/ Taken Care of Tails and Mane

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Cuidados De Colas Y Crines/ Taken Care of Tails and Mane
Carolyn Henderson
Manufacturer: Hispano Europea Editorial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Manes and Tails
Valerie Watson
Manufacturer: Kenilworth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J4MW9Y

Young Roanoke, (The property of Mr. John Randolph of Roanoke.): He is a beautiful blood bay, black legs, mane and tail-- will stand the present season at my stable, Belle-Isle, Louisa county

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Young Roanoke, (The property of Mr. John Randolph of Roanoke.): He is a beautiful blood bay, black legs, mane and tail-- will stand the present season at my stable, Belle-Isle, Louisa county
James Cole Dickinson
Manufacturer: Printed at The Herald Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Great golf tips, anecdotes, and advice on living.

Let 'Er Rip!: Gardner Dickinson on Golf
Gardner Dickinson
Manufacturer: Longstreet Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Golf | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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It's Only a Game: Words of Wisdom from a Lifetime in Golf

The Art of Putting: The Revolutionary Feel-Based System for Improving Your Score

ASIN: 156352175X

Customer Reviews:

Great golf tips, anecdotes, and advice on living........1999-03-03

Great golfing stories revealing interesting experiences and personality vignettes of golfing and Hollywood persons that Gardner knew and golfed with. Excellent tips for improving your own golf game are interwoven with the human interest stories.

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Let'er Rip! Gardner Dickinson On Golf
Dickinson Gardner
Manufacturer: Longstreet Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UEXA6M

Customer Reviews:

A Great Starting Point.......2003-08-31

As a Deaf ASL teacher, I often search out new (and not so new) resources to supplement my teaching. I've found many of Flodin's books to be bad news to the ASL teacher, for they are strictly English-based. However, this being a dictionary, sentence structure is not an issue. Therefore, this book is a definite asset to anyone's repertoire.

"The Perigee Dictionary" has very clear illustrations and descriptions of over 1500 signs. It also includes memory aids to help you retain what you are learning. It is in basic, A - Z, format and serves as a wonderful starting point for people interested in learning signs.

One must be careful to remember a few things, however: There are regional dialects and what is signed one way in Michigan is signed differently in California, this by no means exhausts ASL vocabulary; and, finally, American Sign Language is a foreign language, completely different than English (as different from English as Russian). If you keep those ideas in mind, you should have no trouble utilizing this fabulous resource while understanding how much more there is to know.

Highly recommended as an initial dictionary. That's just this deafie's opinion. :v)

The best ASL dictionary out there!.......2003-05-03

Having experience with American Sign Language for almost 10 years, I have read (and own) a great many signing books and dictionaries. This is by far the best. The drawings are easy to understand (which is often not the case with many books), and is accompanied by a text description as well. Each entry also has suggestions of the origin of the sign, but also can help a student remember the word as a memory aide. There are many signs in here that other dictionaries do not include, though it (of course) doesn't have everything. The signs are usually "modern" versions of a sign (as languages change and adapt), unlike some books which have very old signs or even signs exclusive to SEE signing. I would recommend to anyone learning ASL.

Sub-Par Dictionary, Great Teaching/Learning Aid.......2002-12-02

As an ASL student, I was rather disappointed with this book's word coverage. It was rather spotty, showing words such as "roller skate"(as a verb) but not "roll", for example. If you already know ASL and just forgot a word or want to brush up on the language, I don't recommend this book for you.
However, this would be a great teaching/learning aid, boasting such features as large and detailed pictures, written directions on how to form a sign, alphabetical word listings, memory aids and context examples on how the word is used. This is great for educators to use as pseudo-textbooks during lessons. However, its poor dictionary coverage will limit its use somewhat.

This is a great learning tool!.......2001-04-17

I have just started learning to sign. I used the smaller pocket version of this book to learn my first 600 signs. I purchased this larger version to continue my learning. The descriptions are clear, and the memory hints are very helpful. I recommend this book without reservation!

Fabulous resource for any signer...novice to sage!!.......1999-01-31

As a professional sign language interpreter, I am often asked by non-signers to recommend a book for them to begin learning this beautiful, expressive language...this is always the first one I mention!

The Perigee Visual Dictionary of Signing: An A to Z Guide to Over 1,200 Signs of American Sign Language

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The Perigee Visual Dictionary of Signing: An A to Z Guide to Over 1,200 Signs of American Sign Language
Rod R. , Illustrated By Mickey Flodin Butterworth
Manufacturer: Putnam Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S85NXS

Book Description

Although Kamal al-Din Bihzad (1460-1535) is acknowledged to be one of the greatest masters of Persian painting, there has to date been no comprehensive study of his life and work. He flourished during the golden age of artistic achievement in the late Teimurid and early Safavid periods, working in Herat and then in Tabriz. This illustrated book traces the roots of the style developed by Bihzad, its heritage and its legacy in Iran, Mughal India and Ottoman Turkey.The author approaches the subject by attempting to relate the paintings to the stories and themes they portray, thus enabling us to appreciate Bihzad's work in a way that has generally been neglected by Western art historians. Bahari has examined Bihzad's paintings in libraries and collections all over the world and this study brings together a huge body of the work.

Customer Reviews:

Suggestion a good surce.......2006-03-26

This is a good book on this subject. But, I'd like to suggest a very good source of Persian (Farsi) books on the net: www.iranibook.com & www.iranibookshop.com You will find any Farsi books in this feild.

Bihzad and his contemporary followers.......2000-04-07

this is an excellent book if you are looking for a comprehensive chronology of Bihzad's life and work. The color reproductions are beautiful, and the text is succinct and easy to follow. There are several works included in the book that are thought to be by contemporaries, and the author supports his descriptions of Bihzad's style by pointing out the stylistic flaws in the works that have been attributed to Bihzad but are not actually part of his repertoire.

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