Women's Places: Architecture and Design 1860-1960

Book Description

Women's Places: Architecture and Design 1860-1960 presents a series of case-study essays, all of them based on research which has been unpublished up until now, dealing with the relationship between particular women, buildings and design in the time period.

This collection shows a range of actual relationships between women and material culture in a given historical period, from those who engaged with the avant-garde of their day, to others who were more conservative and worked within prevailing traditions and conventions; their differing strategies and the ways in which the picture changed over a period of time in response to shifts in the contemporary aesthetic, economic, social and cultural climate of gender, architecture and design. The team of authors are noted within the discipline for their original and pioneering research in the field of gender, architecture, material culture and the built environment.

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Alwyn Crawshaw's Watercolour Painting Course: A Step-by-step Guide to Success
Alwyn Crawshaw
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Watercolor | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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You Can Paint Watercolors

Alwyn Crawshaw Paints on Holiday

The Half-Hour Painter: Paint a Successful Landscape in 30 Minutes

ASIN: 0004125231

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ALWYN CRAWSHAW'S WATERCOLOUR PAINTING COURSE A Step-by-step Guide to Success
Alwyn Crawshaw
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8W74K

Book Description

`A wounded mountain lion moves from his mountain habitat to a Papago Indian hut in Arizona's Sonoran desert during a record-breaking July day. All creation adapts to the blistering heat until a cloudburst causes a flash flood. With a measured yet vivid style, this introduction to desert ecology makes a memorable impact." —SLJ.

Customer Reviews:

A dramatic look into an otherworldly environment.......2001-04-19

Naturalist Jean Craighead George introduces us to the world of the mountain lion, the road runner, the cactus, the kangaroo rat, the ringtailed cat, the swift fox, the elf owl, the coyote, and the bombadier beetle in this book as she did wolves and caribou in JULIE OF THE WOLVES and peregrine falcons in MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. A young Papago Indian girl named Bird Wing and her mother live in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. This usually arid place is about to fall victim to a terrible thunderstorm and a flash flood. Bird Wing and all the animals of the desert struggle to find shelter before the flood. Some will survive--and some will not. This is a beautiful story about the close connection between human beings and all living things, and the unpredictable ways of nature. Other books in the ONE DAY series that include exciting natural disasters are ONE DAY IN THE ALPINE TUNDRA and ONE DAY IN THE PRAIRIE. There is also the fascinating ONE DAY IN THE WOODS and ONE DAY IN THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST. And don't forget Jean Craighead George's 80+ stories about nature, like The Thirteen Moons series and THERE'S AN OWL IN THE SHOWER.

Introducing young readers to the desert world.......2000-02-25

Yet another wonderful book by an author very much in tune with nature and ecological concerns. She teaches while she entertains. Having lived in the region portrayed in this book, it became a gift to young friends back in Minnesota to introduce them to a COMPLETELY different world. Yielded fun discussion and comparison. They wondered at and enjoyed it very much!

This book was not that great.......1999-10-11

As I was reading this book it did't tell me that much about anything except that this did this and that did that. If I were you I would not buy this book. Although it is my opinion on the book, you might really like it.

Fight for the Tiger: One Man's Battle to Save the Wild Tiger from Extinction

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excellent novel to catch mass attention

Fight for the Tiger: One Man's Battle to Save the Wild Tiger from Extinction
Michael Day
Manufacturer: Trafalgar Square
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0747251479

Book Description

The remarkable story of one man's crusade to halt the international black market trade in tiger parts, a brutal practice that threatens the animal with extinction. The underground trade in wildlife is now the world's second largest criminal activity, and the tiger is the black market's most sought-after prey. The onslaught of poachers, who supply tiger parts to China and the Far East for use in archaic medicines, has destroyed 95 percent of the wild tiger population. Yet, there are no top secret agencies fighting organized crime against nature. This extremely dangerous investigative work is done by only a few individuals. Michael Day is one of them. Using the latest covert surveillance technology to penetrate gangster-dominated smuggling networks, Day has gathered a compelling dossier of evidence, alerting the world to the tiger's plight and forcing the governments of China and Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong to outlaw the sordid trade. Fight for the Tiger is a gripping adventure and a human tale of courage and determination. 448 pp 4 1/2 x 7 8 pp color & 16 b/w photos

Customer Reviews:

excellent novel to catch mass attention.......1999-01-06

A Canadian girl leant me this book when I was in Tanzania, last summer. I am very interested in environmental protection, so this kind of book could only interest me. However, I was happily surprised by the fluency of the language, the humour, and, most of all, the contents of the book. It almost convinced me to become an environmental spy! I highly recomment it to anyone in the slighest interested in the environment. It leaves much food for though concerning the possibility of a bright future for biodiversity. It presents very well the power of people and NGOs, with very interesting anecdotes. It also puts in perspective the conflict economics v. environment. Basically, it makes the reader realise what is going on in this world, and the extent of the cover-up of information. The best book I've read which stirred such response and angriness within me!

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One Day As A Tiger
Alan Taylor
Manufacturer: Authors OnLine Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Family Saga | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0755200209

Book Description

Not another story about India? Yes, because India has the wealth of material to support new writers till the end of time. Seen through new eyes, another rich Indian feast is spread before you. Sadhus and snake charmers, sorcerers and secret, service agents, weave an unusual tale, set in the romantic era of the British Raj. A God descends to earth in human form, taking us from forests inhabited by cobras and tigers to the opulent palaces of wealthy Maharajas. We are escorted through the 'Valley of the Gods,' and introduced to violence and black magic before the chilling conclusion.

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Original and highly entertaining
Reality exposed through surrealism
Dull
Tragedy, Complete with Catharsis
a real puzzlement... hated it... but couldn't put it down

One day as a tiger
Anne Haverty
Manufacturer: Ecco Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006DIEIQ

Customer Reviews:

Original and highly entertaining.......2003-02-12

Marty Hawkins, on his way to being a gifted scholar at Dublin's Trinity College, seems to be suffering a delayed reaction to his parents' tragic death. Giving up his fast track career in the history department, Marty returns home to the family farm in Fasha, County Tipperary, run by his brother, Pierce, and sister-in-law, Etti. Marty's desire for a simple rural life puts him at a loss on how to fill his days besides occasional farm chores and the weekly night out at the local pub. Pinning for his sister-in-law, Etti, and a good-natured rivalry with Young Delaney, a boyhood friend, seems to be the only things keeping him going until he comes in possession of a genetically altered sheep he names Missy.
This was a most unusual book and very enjoyable. The author gives us a wonderful portrayal of rural Ireland and its vanishing breed of small farmers. We are treated to an assortment of characters in the village of Fansha, from the sister-in-law from the wrong side of the tracks and almost too perfect brother, to the hard working Young Delaney, who is the envy of the countryside for his skill with livestock. Other families seem less industrious than Pierce, settling for modern homes and satellite dishes, in lieu of the traditional country values.
Marty's emotional decline is sad and pathetic, risking everything for a chance with his sister-in-law. A delightful story of obsession and the consequences, but perhaps most memorable for the wonderful portrayal of a tiny corner of modern Ireland, which still retains the rural charm that we think of, and a whole array of unforgettable characters.

Reality exposed through surrealism.......2000-09-30

A sheep? The novel is about a sheep? If someone had told me this novel is by an Irish writer and it features a sheep, I probably would have dismissed the book. I think myself relatively free of prejudice, yet "Irish writer" says to me folk story, featuring salt-of-the-earth characters and a warm, triumphant ending. How wrong I would have been to suspect Haverty of writing such a book, and how glad I am that I did not take the time to discover her heritage before buying and reading this amazing book.

The novel follows Marty Hawkins as he leaves his promising career at Trinity College in Dublin to go home to the country, to live for a time with his brother Pierce, who tends the family acres with an understanding and closeness to the land that Marty knows he will never have. Marty is perhaps driven to this desperate move away from intellectual pursuits by a kind of rivalry with this brother, or by the death of his parents, or, by his own admission, because he missed the look of the land. It was never quite clear to me why he left Trinity, except that he felt something was wrong. And in the end it doesn't particularly matter. We all do things that we cannot fully explain. I like that about this book.

Followed everywhere by the specter of this larger-than-life relative, the brother who can do no wrong, Marty seeks peace by doing nothing. He makes himself a home in an abandoned house on the land, makes half-hearted efforts at helping Pierce, finally accepts his hermit-like existence. But he has an obsession with Pierce's wife Etti. And an equal fascination with a sheep.

Marty finds the sheep when accompanying his progressive farmer brother to a sale of genetically-engineered livestock. The sheep carry human genes. The sheep Marty picks out has a kind of human frailty that calls out to him, that he cannot resist. Pierce humors his non-farmer brother by acquiring the sheep for him for half-price.

And so Missy enters Marty's life. And changes it forever. Missy seems to represent the unformed, unclear direction of Marty's life, its demands on him and his inadequacy at satisfying his own needs, or even defining them. Marty struggles with keeping her alive, with alternately loving and hating her, as he seems to do with his own soul. He expresses - and sometimes fights - the too-human traits of envy, lust, and desire, and is ultimately undone by his need to have what he wants on his own terms. The novel is too real to be put down easily, too human to dismiss.

Dull.......2000-05-17

What makes this book at all interesting is the way the author uses Missy, the genetically engineered lamb, who functions essentially as another character; despite that, the story is pretty conventional. The plot is straightforward, and Ms Haverty deals with themes we've all seen before. It's an easy read, but not particularly exciting or thought provoking; my biggest objection, though, is that as the story moved forward, I found it quite predictable.

Tragedy, Complete with Catharsis.......1998-07-07

What a wonderful book! Once I started reading it, every moment spent away from it was a trial! All I wanted to do was get back to it and find out what happened next! While this may not be a book that ends "happily ever after", it does make us painfully aware of the poignant and tenuous nature of life and how unspeakably sad it can sometimes be. We identify with Martin at the same time that we abhor his sometimes thoughtlessly cruel behavior towards Missy. Etti's limited intelligence, and the fact that she is aware of it, makes us feel protective towards her and we are also moved by Pierce's love for his brother and for Etti. But finally it is Missy who moves us unbearably - we are left with an image of this totally helpless being, dependent on the whims of whoever deigns to look after her, however imperfectly. We may well ask the question, "Why was she born?" This story is a real tragedy, complete with catharsis. As for the writing, Anne Haverty is a wonder - her descriptions of nature are marvellous and the wry Celtic humor to be found in the story makes us smile but it is, above all, her ability to move us that makes her stand out from the crowd. The only writer I can compare her with is Patrick McGinley, a favorite of mine whose books are, unfortunately, mostly out of print these days. The reader who asks what the title means must have missed the quotation at the beginning of the book.

a real puzzlement... hated it... but couldn't put it down.......1998-04-06

Okay, I just don't get it. If any other readers can explain the title of this book to me, I'd appreciate it. Still, it kept my attention to look at this buccolic Ireland. The love story is... well, it's a love story. The question is, who loves whom???

Hello, Little Pig: The Tale of Little Tiger When He Didn't Come Home One Day

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Hello, Little Pig: The Tale of Little Tiger When He Didn't Come Home One Day
Janosch
Manufacturer: Andersen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary Criticism & Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0862641896

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One Day as a Tiger
Anne Haverty
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OH845W

Book Description

Opening Japan's Financial Markets examines the failure of foreign banks to penetrate Japanese financial markets. It looks beyond simplistic arguments which blame stringent Japanese protectionist policies for keeping the Japanese market closed. Examining the history of foreign banking activity in Japan, the book shows that the inept behavior of foreign banks and foreign governments explains much of their failure.

J. Robert Brown, Jr. argues that solutions designed to "punish" the Japanese--such as managed trade--are inappropriate. He suggests that foreign banks must change their approach to the Japanese regulatory system and their method of operation--including an overhaul of their personnel practices. Brown argues that a greater understanding and commitment to the market is needed, and that the US government must put its own house in order as it induces the Japanese to liberalize. Brown also discusses at length the methods used by the Japanese government to limit foreign banks toa small niche in the financial markets.

Customer Reviews:

This is a review from the Financial Times in London.......1997-12-19

This is a review from the Financial Times in London. JRB Copyright 1994 The Financial Times Limited; Financial Times (London) November 2, 1994, Wednesday By CHRISTOPHER HOWE 'OPENING JAPAN'S FINANCIAL MARKETS' By J. Robert Brown Jr. Routledge, Pounds 45, 272 pages ... The Japanese began systematic preparations to penetrate the western economies about 130 years ago. Serious, large-scale efforts to reverse the process date only from the rise of the Japanese trade surplus in the early 1980s. Given the linguistic, psychological, institutional and other barriers between the parties, it is not surprising that the balance of economic advantage in recent years has seemed to be so much in Japan's favour. Furthermore, although the west is beginning to catch up, at least in consciousness of the problem, the problem itself gets more difficult. For whereas the main challenge used to be how to penetrate the markets for goods, there is now increasing concern with the markets for services and with the obstacles to making a success of direct investment in Japan. J. Robert Brown's book is one of the most interesting accounts of these subjects yet to appear. Based on careful study of the literature and on more than 100 detailed interviews, it throws new light not only on the banking sector, but on the wider issue of how public and private sectors can interact in the process of market opening. A small number of western banks had established themselves in Japan before the Pacific War, including the old British Far Eastern banks, and Citibank, representing America. These mainly supported foreign trade and the banking needs of foreign companies in Japan. In the case of Citibank, at least, care was taken not to compete with domestic banks, on whom it relied for advice on local creditworthiness. During the post-war occupation, foreign banks had a new opportunity to re-enter the market and three prominent American Banks did so. Again, however, the foreigners were sidelined rather than integrated into the mainstream of the financial system, focusing on trade finance and short- to medium-term dollar lending. After the occupation, the Japanese government and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) resumed control. No new foreign entrants were allowed in for many years and a highly regulated financial system was established. In this system, Japanese institutions were assigned designated, highly specialized roles and the volume, direction and price of credit flows were each tightly controlled by an MOF with enormous legal and discretionary authority. The only way in which foreigners could be fitted into the picture was to restrict them to specific classes of business, such as foreign exchange, trade and dollar lending. Foreign banks acquiesced in these arrangements through much of the 1960s and early 1970s partly because their niches were exceptionally profitable. So much so, that in the early 1960s Citibank's profits from only four branches were larger than those of Fuji Bank, the largest of the Japanese City Banks. The other reason for acquiescence was that in the Japanese system, since banks rather than security markets were the main source of industrial finance, they were called upon to provide what was in reality a form of risk-sharing, equity finance, and were also expected by the authorities to provide both leadership and, when necessary, bail-outs for large companies. At the time, western bankers, with their short term, balance sheet approach to lending, found these practices unacceptable and hence were unwilling to undertake a lead role in company lending, even had they been encouraged to do so. All this began to collapse after the oil shock of the 1970s and the rise of US-Japan trade frictions in the 1980s. What Brown brings out so clearly is that liberalisation and market opening occurred because it was in the interests of both the western banks and the Japanese City Banks. Both sides wanted new instruments and avenues to funds and both wanted abolition of the old division between banking and securities business. The government had ultimately to agree to change, and all that this entailed, because of its need for large-scale bond financing to cover its budgetary deficit. Brown also shows that, although driven by these underlying factors, the occasion of the big breakthrough was the Reagan-Nakasone summit of 1983, when an embarrassing absence of business allowed the Americans to put the financial services issue on an unexpectedly high-level agenda. In spite of all the change and the formal steps towards liberalisation that have taken place, the longer term results remain disappointing. On the positive side, examples such as Citibank have shown that by taking a long view and making a careful analysis of the market, by a shrewd combination of conformity and innovation, and by good training and personnel policies, it is possible to make a success of business in Japan. On the other hand, the overall profitability and market shares of western banks as a group, remain very low. A fundamental reason for this is that there remain strong traditional elements in both the relationships between the financial system and the MOF, and between the institutions and their customers. Whether the political economy of the post-'Bubble' era will change this, or whether western companies will adapt even more flexibly to Japanese ways, remain fascinating questions for the future.

Opening Japan's Financial Markets: Shared Responsibilities

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Opening Japan's Financial Markets: Shared Responsibilities
J. Robert Brown
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUX406

Amazon.com

After a series of unsatisfactory models that pushed the company to the brink of extinction, the Chrysler Corporation did a revolutionary thing: It listened to its customers. What they told the company was that they wanted a family vehicle that didn't drive like an 18-wheeler. Chrysler responded with its minivans, introducing a new category of vehicles to the American public and resuscitating its floundering finances. Brock Yates, a columnist for Car & Driver magazine, reconstructs this tale with a mix of knowledge about vehicle engineering, the automobile industry, and the American public. A must-read for those in the industry and others interested in corporate survival.

Book Description

After a series of unsatisfactory models that pushed the company to the brink of extinction, the Chrysler Corporation did a revolutionary thing: It listened to its customers. What they told the company was that they wanted a family vehicle that didn't drive like an 18-wheeler. Chrysler responded with its minivans, introducing a new category of vehicles to the American public and resuscitating its floundering finances. Brock Yates, a columnist for Car Driver magazine, reconstructs this tale with a mix of knowledge about vehicle engineering, the automobile industry, and the American public. A must-read for those in the industry and others interested in corporate survival.

Customer Reviews:

Reading this was a chore.......2006-04-27

Poorly written and edited, lacking factually, and aggravatingly repetitive. Very disappointing, given Mr. Yates' considerable writing skill evidenced in his Car & Driver editorials.

A Interesting view of the Auto Industry.......2003-07-02

We've owned four Caravan / Voyagers, so I had a distinct curiosity about the book's subject. The book was interesting when describing the design issues involved with "the vehicle that saved Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge". The book gives a good feel for the business end of the big bucks car industry, trying to guess what world economy and whim of the American buyer will sell cars five years down the road.
Brock Yates' writing style lends itself better to one page editorial writing or brief commentary within specifications laden car articles. He KNOWS the subject but has a boring style. Overall, though the subject to me was worth finishing the book.
John Row

Fascinating, Well written, Informed.......2001-03-22

As the owner of a 2000 Dodge Caravan I feel it is a special treat to learn the story of my car's design and creation, from conception to labor and delivery. The book is well written, and the story is told in such a way that it riveted my attention from beginning to end. Mr. Yates is highly qualified having spent an entire career as an automotive journalist, and in my opinion it shows. In cases where I was familiar with the facts being discussed, his story agrees with the facts I was familiar with. This book is top notch in my opinion - 5 stars.

An excellent counterpoint to the Iacocca books...........2000-05-06

As you will find out if you read this book, Iacocca was not a car guy - he was a businessman, a "mogul" in the business of cars.

This book provides a counterpoint to the Iacocca books, from a different viewpoint: from within the engineering and production "trenches".

No only does Yates chronicle the development of the third generation minivan; he chronicles with it the transformation of the Chrysler Corporation.

Adequately written, very insightful. Incredible access to what transpired at Chrysler during this time.

Recommended. Especially for minivan owners or prospective buyers.

A frustrating, poor quality read........1998-09-22

Judging by Brock Yates' work as an "Editor at large" for Car and Driver magazine, one would expect witty, to-the-point writing in this book-- especially when one considers that discussing automobiles (more specifically, the gestation and development of a particularly important one) is what he excells at.

However, after trudging through the seemingly endless reworded repetitions of previously mentioned facts, poorly formed sentences, and numerous instances of completely unfactual statements, I was left with a lessened view of the man's talents.

There is a smattering of interesting information here, though, so those with an interest in the automobile industry would do themselves a favor to pick this up and slog through the poor stuff to get to the nuggets.

Yates has spent a lot of his outstanding career bemoaning, justifiably, the lack of quality in various automobiles. His effort in the book, however, makes him seem as a bit of a hypocrite, unfortunately, and my previously high opinion of the man's work has lessened.

I felt used after reading this. Shame on you, Yates.

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The Critical Path : Inventing an Automobile and Reinventing a Corporation
Brock Yates
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUJZAW

Book Description

The best-selling author of Flow and an award-winning sociologist draw on a unique longitudinal study to reveal how adolescents develop attitudes, skills, and expectations about their adult careers

How do young people envision their occupational futures? What do teenagers feel about their schooling and after-school work, and how do these experiences affect their passage to adult work? These are the questions that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and sociologist Barbara Schneider posed in their five-year study of adolescents. The results provide an unprecedented window on society's future through which we can glimpse how today's youth are preparing themselves for the lives they will lead in the decades to come.

Customer Reviews:

becoming ADULT: How Teenagers Prepare for the World of Work.......2000-10-25

There are those who believe that, if they are not their kids they are not their concern. Just how wrong, even potentially destructive, a mindset is underscored by the data presented in becoming ADULT: How Teenagers Prepare for the World of Work. This book is of immeasurable value to all but most highly recommended for parents and those even remotely involved in the educational process.

Having taken into account every variable conceivable, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his team have translated five years of research pertaining to how young adults prepare for the future, into useful knowledge. They provide an understanding of how adolescents develop their attitudes, interests, skills, and expectations that ultimately enable them to move forward to successful and rewarding adult lives. The book reinforces the adolescent's need for guidance and support, not only from their families and schools, but the community at large. It is made clear that helping young people to establish goals is not nearly enough; they require extended opportunities to increase the skills necessary to meet their future adult career needs. Most importantly, becoming ADULT offers a means to an end. It serves not only as a tool for more effectively assisting adolescents to make the transitions from childhood to adulthood, or school to a productive adult career, such self-affirming guidance will help them to create meaning and satisfaction in their everyday life.

In light of their significance to the future of society, the habits and values of young people should be guided with the intent of attaining the most positive outcome for both. The authors do not profess to have all of the answers, but they do offer a sound foundation to build upon.

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