The Natural Superiority of the Left-Hander

Book Description

Over 400,000 copies in print!

Customer Reviews:

My son is leftie who LOVES this book.......2006-03-08

My son is 10 and he LOVES this book!! He quotes it all the time and actually is now insistant that he is superior to all of us right handers.. I love that it makes him feel special!

My bible growing up..........2004-11-12

As a lefty child, this book was my bible. I searched high and low for a copy last year after realizing as a grow-up that it was still a book I could enjoy. It does a great job of de-mystifying dominant-handedness while dispensing some interesting biological facts about it (how it's a recessive gene, for example.) It's filled with humorous drawings and fun factoids (did you know that Gerald Ford writes left-handed sitting down, and right-handed standing up?) that anyone -- not just a lefty -- will appreciate. As an added bonus, it succeeds in its goal to provide a good source of self-esteem for lefties who feel left-out.

Welcome to the twilight zone.......2000-03-12

Not what I expected at all. If you are looking for a serious study of the left-hander THIS ISN'T IT. This is a childrens book, however it is a very funny one. The book cracked me up, probably worth what I paid for it. Good to read to children asking about left handers. It even has childrens pictures.

THE NATURAL SUPERIORITY OF THE LEFT-HANDER

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THE NATURAL SUPERIORITY OF THE LEFT-HANDER
James Kay
Manufacturer: M. Evans
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000INSIZI

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The Natural Superiority of the Left-Hander
James T. De Kay
Manufacturer: Angus & Robertson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0207153493

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The Rubbers Bros. Comics, Vol. 1 (Rubbers Bros. Comics Vol. 1)
Peter A. Mozeleski
Manufacturer: Rubbers Brothers Comics, the
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

AIDS & HIV | Diseases | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1880058073

Book Description

Film is an art form with a language and an aesthetic all it's own, and since 1979 David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson's Film Art has been the most repected introduction to the art and analysis of cinema.

In the new sixth edition, Film Art continues it's commitment to providing the best introduction to the fundamentals of serious film study - images throughout the book are collected from actual film frames, not from production stills or advertising photos - but the book has been extensively re-designed to improve readability and teachability. Additionally, the text can be packaged with the award-winning Film, Form, and Culture CD-ROM, and is supported by an extensive Instructor's Manual and text-specific website.

Customer Reviews:

It was'nt in stock.......2007-01-09

I never bought this item because you were out of it.

Indispensable book from a film genius!.......2005-04-05

This is a *great* book. I am former student of David Bordwell's MA program in Film at the Univ of Wisconsin-Madison. This is a wonderful introduction to and keen analysis of the whole of cinema, not a mean feat for any book on film! A bit pricey, you might think, but it's jam-packed, ranging from the broad strokes to the minutiae of film. I can remember back to the first edition, decades ago, that I think sold for something like a then-whopping $15 in paper. Yes, it's designed mainly for textbook use for "film appreciation," but I don't think any serious student or film enthusiast can speak inteligently about film without this book. David Bordwell is one of the most respected voices in film studies today -- who would have thought he used to be a door-to-door vacuum salesman back in Iowa in the early early 1970's! Devoid of the jargony style [read: post-structuralist, semiotic, etc] analyses of so many other film books. [And, this from a guy who can sling the jargon with the best of them! Just read some of his scholarly essays in the film studies journals.] Seriously, though -- what a expansive writing career -- from general film studies textbook to scholarly works on Asian cinema, individual film artists like Eisenstein and Dreyer, to more recent works on Hong Kong action films. What a treat to see a great mind at work. Highly recommended for all! Studying at UW-Madison with people like Bordwell was one of several factors in my going into film preservation archive work.

GIVE THE BOOK A BREAK!.......2004-06-26

this is a wonderful textbook! it was completely revised and actually redesigned for the 6th edition. it includes an online learning center available to all owners of the book, and includes a "how to watch films and write an effective essay" guide. this is not to mention the hundreds of b+w and full color photos, and the clear easy to understand text. film art is fully indexed with a bibliography and glossary. it even features an internet resources section with selected reference sites from the web. i suggest the other reviewer get a cinemagraphic education, and review this again. their ignorance shows!

Horrible, horrible.......2004-05-31

This is perhaps THE WORST TEXTBOOK I have EVER had to use. If you eliminate Bordwell and Thompson's constant derivations discussing the most tedious unrelated, obscure film references; then there would be about FIVE pages of text. In those five pages, you would see several paragraphs of horribly akward phrasing and lack of definitions for their 'coined terms.' Do youself a favour and petition your Film Department to get a text that is actually readable and not this horrible.

Book Description

The definitive account of Vincenzo Bellini's life and work. This superb work includes personal letters, intimate details of relationships with men and women, an interpretation of the biopsy report explaining the circumstances of his tragic death and previously unseen illustrations from the early 1800s.

Customer Reviews:

The Sicilian Swan.......2007-03-11

Here is a new biograpy (at last) of the superb Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini written with intelligence and care of purpose. Bellini's life is unfolded sequentially from his birth in Catania in 1801 to his death in Paris in 1835. I very much like the way Mr. Galatapoulos sets up the chapters giving the details of Vincenzo's life as he was writing a particular opera, then the performance of the opera with reviews and stories of the cast, then the story of the opera itself, then a musical examination of the work and finally suggested recordings. It is on that last detail that he gets in trouble with the previous reviewer regarding Mdme.Callas but to me that is small detail. The opera world brims over with Callasistas and after all Mr. Galatapoulos IS Greek. Vincenzo never minded sharing the spotlight with a great soprano! The author uses that same chapter-set-up for each of the eleven operas Bellini wrote and it gives the book an agreeable rhythm. I appreciated the close examination of Bellini's lifelong relationship with Francesco Florimo which I felt was done in a very even handed way. And I also appreciated the author's reluctance to speculate on several parts of Bellini's life where there is no historical record to support it. I found myself wanting more social and political ambience in order to frame out that interesting period of Italian history in which Bellini lived. But no matter, I found this book to be informative and compelling and it re-inforced my love for this short-lived genius who poured out some the most sublime music of the 19th Century.

an okay biography with a strange and wicked twist.......2005-07-26

As a biography of Bellini, this book is a good read and provides much information. If, however, you're looking for new AND objective views on Bellini's works and their 20th century interpreters (singers), I suggest you run away from this book. This book is really a by-product of the author's personal devotion to Maria Callas, and it's rather obvious once you realize that the author has written 3 books on the famous singer. He does not hide his bias, as the inscription reads: "... for Maria Callas and Tullio Serafin."Not surprisingly, in this book the author repeatedly preaches Callas' "genius" and has absolutely nothing bad to write about her singing. To him, Callas is the one and only gold standard in the "true" Bellinian style. This shockingly narrow perspective is extremely disturbing in this seemingly objective, "definitive" biography of the composer. The author has almost nothing good to say about another equally famous Bellini interpreter -- Joan Sutherland. He reluctantly acknowledges her "ease of the upper register" but dimisses her art and technique as mere "facility." Callas, on the other hand, is "perfection" (whereas any objective listener will point out that Callas is never without shortcomings). Rather predictably, he places Callas on the same level and category of Pasta and Malibran. What a surprise.If you happen to be a defensive Callas fanatic, the author's comments might suit your taste. However, if you appreciate and enjoy styles and possibilities of interpretation other than that of Callas, the author's prejudiced writing can be unbelievably laughable, naive, ignorant, one-sided, not to mention offensive, insulting, disgusting and infuriating. I'm an admirer of Callas' art myself, but I find this kind of blind devotion very limiting and harmful to the arts. What a shame - this book could have been a fine biography if only the author could resist promoting Callas inappropriately at the same time.The author's opinions on the operas themselves aren't exactly refreshing or original, either. Here you will find some hackneyed criticism on the less established operas, especially "Beatrice di Tenda". Personally, I find the music thrilling and agree with the composer that "Beatrice" is a worthy sister of "Norma". Who knows, had Callas picked up and championed this role, maybe the author of this book would have a different opinion on this unjustly neglected opera?This book contains poison for the sensitive soul of the genuine lover of Bellini's music. Proceed with caution.

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Genome Research Advances

Manufacturer: Nova Science Pub Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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Let's Look at Life on Earth (Let's Look at)

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Let's Look at Life on Earth (Let's Look at)
Gilberto Corretti , and F. Bellini
Manufacturer: Hodder Wayland
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Life of Bellini (Musical Lives)
John Rosselli
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Vincenzo Bellini's physical beauty, boundless success, and untimely death at the age of thirty-three combined to give him instant mythical status. In John Rosselli's new account, the first in English in twenty-five years, of his life and music, a more accurate view of Bellini emerges. Carefully sorting through fact, legend and even spurious documentation, Rosselli reassesses Bellini's personality, his relationships, and his short but dazzling career in Naples, Milan and Paris. He introduces the operatic world of the early nineteenth century, the singers of Bellini's roles, and, above all he explains the writing and performance of the operas themselves. What emerges from this level-headed biography is a portrait of an otherwise normal young man with uncommon musical gifts.

Vincenzo Bellini, His Life and His Operas

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Vincenzo Bellini, His Life and His Operas
Herbert WEINSTOCK
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GX9FHU

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Death & Life: Kalmus Edition

Manufacturer: Alfred Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 075793711X

How to bring an idea to market.: An article from: Canadian Chemical News

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How to bring an idea to market.: An article from: Canadian Chemical News
Francesco Bellini
Manufacturer: Chemical Institute of Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Canadian Chemical News, published by Chemical Institute of Canada on June 1, 1994. The length of the article is 2039 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: How to bring an idea to market.
Author: Francesco Bellini
Publication: Canadian Chemical News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 1994
Publisher: Chemical Institute of Canada
Volume: v46 Issue: n6 Page: p22(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Lean Life: Linda Evans Complete Nutrition Guide

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The Lean Life: Linda Evans Complete Nutrition Guide
Lisa Bellini
Manufacturer: Linda Evans Fitness Centers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JJJ5GW

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Sandstorm

Useful for Desert Campaign Building, but not much else.

Great Series

On the low side of mediocre

Good material, but a lot of derivative stuff

Sandstorm: Mastering the Perils of Fire and Sand (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)
Bruce R. Cordell , Jennifer Clarke-Wilkes , and J. D. Wiker
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Frostburn: Mastering the Perils of Ice and Snow (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)

Stormwrack: Mastering the Perils of Wind and Wave (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Environment Supplement)

Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)

Heroes of Horror (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)

Player's Handbook II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)

ASIN: 078693655X
Release Date: 2005-03-24

Book Description

A complete guide to playing D&D in arid wastelands.

This beautifully illustrated supplement continues a series of releases that focus on how the environment can affect D&D gameplay in every capacity. Sandstorm™ contains rules on how to adapt to hazardous hot and arid weather conditions, such as navigating desert terrain and surviving in fierce heat or harsh weather. There are expanded rules for environmental hazards and manipulation of hot weather elements, as well as new spells, feats, magic items, and prestige classes. New monsters associated with deserts and wastelands are included, as well as variants on current monsters. Sandstorm provides enough adventure material included for months of gameplay.

Customer Reviews:

Sandstorm.......2007-05-10

Anyone who's read one of my reviews of a Bruce Cordell product has probably come to expect a certain amount of praise. Sandstorm, the first in a series of D&D supplements to deal with setting as environment as opposed to setting as community, has three authors listed on the cover. Bruce R. Cordell, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes and JD Wiker (look, someone besides me eschews punctuation after an initial). This book is a relatively strong product which is undermined more by the Wizards of the Coast vision of Dungeons and Dragons than its specific content. The details are interesting and relatively well-written. Some of them positively capture the imagination. However they are crammed into a certain framework of design that has plagued all D&D books for a while now. This is the first time I've reviewed a book with this structure, so bear with me if I vent just a bit.

The first chapter of this book is the strongest. It deals with the waste itself, and let's face it, you're buying or not buying the book for this chapter. Here we deal with the realities of the waste. Heat. Dehydration. Survival. First this chapter addresses the real threats of a mundane waste, such as sand and the elements, the effects of glare and wind. Then the chapter veers off into the fantastic, things that could only be found in a magical world. These include everything from planes of fused glass to semi-sentient dunes, to ghost voices, to special poisons and diseases. Finally it ends with a description of the different styles of waste, complete with a list of features and the percentage of the area that would be dominated by those features.

Now the book lives or dies on this chapter, and I think it lived. It's interesting and it stimulates the imagination. It hands the DM practical information as well as a launchpad into the fantastic. Honestly my only real disappointment with this chapter is that they included those percentages for the terrain features of the different types of wastes and didn't take that any farther. Honestly, how hard is it to jump from there to a full-blown mini-table. You could use it that way as is, but you'd have to count down the chart to make it work and only a slight massaging of the data could have made it so much more useful.
So that's it. Now you know whether or not you want to buy the book. "What about the rest?" you ask. "Is the rest of the book just filler?"

A lot of it is, yes.

Let's look at the rest of the book chapter by chapter.

Chapter 2 is races, classes and feats. Now I have to admit. The very title of this first section makes me want to chew out my own tongue. I mean, honestly. When did someone decide that they needed to add a new race or two in every book. I've been gaming for years and some of my worlds have been around from the beginning. Am I just going to pop in a new race with every supplement? It would turn my campaigns into a joke.

The first part of the race section is just so much wasted space. It introduces two new races, just as you'd expect. The first look like gray aliens from UFO abduction stories spray painted a pleasant deep tan. The second are a race of desert goblinoids that have names and culture similar to Native Americans. I mean really.

Evidently the handing over of Dark Sun to a web presence precluded the inclusion of Muls and Half Giants. I can understand that, but as for the rest?

After this, the chapter becomes more useful. It takes the standard D&D races and discusses how to treat them in a waste environment, complete with a few swapped out abilities. The section on classes are much the same. This is how a supplement should handle races and classes. It came as a certain relief.

Next we come to Feats, and this is as interest section. It has a nice selection of feats but the main feature in the introduction of Touchstone Sites. These are ancient locals with which a character can bind himself. Doing so grants the character certain powers, both basic and advanced, that go hand in hand with his connection to the site.

My only problem with this section is a bit of murkiness about what happens when you take the feat to bond with multiple sites. In one place, it says that you can only have one of the basic abilities at once and must sacrifice it when orienting on a new site (by going there and recharging your vital energies.) A bit lower it says that you never lose these basic abilities. I think they changed to rule during an editing pass and missed one of the references. It's happened to me so I understand it, but that doesn't help you. You'll have to look for errata.

So I've already chewed out my own tongue. Next comes the section that makes me want to swallow it whole. Prestige classes. I thought these were a great idea at first, but now the glut of prestige classes has made them lose almost all meaning. In addition, the lack of any real game balance from one to another has made them an absolute nightmare to include in any game. This is the perfect example of a good idea that someone tried to take out for a ride only to find that they had to run it around and around and around, digging a trench like poor, enslaved Conan.
Sort of like I just did to that simile.

All right. So if I had my way, I'd never see another prestige class outside of a very specific setting situation (such as the various knightly orders of Krynn). That being said, I can grudgingly admit that maybe they aren't that bad in this context. A waste is completely alien to the climate of most fantasy. If they call me tomorrow and tell me they'd already decided against putting anymore prestige classes into their main supplements, but they couldn't see a way around it in this book, I'd forgive them. Is my phone ringing? No. I don't think it will, either.

Okay. So I made it past that section of the book without letting my own frustration get the better of me. It speaks well enough for the book.
Next comes equipment. This section has nothing spectacular about it. They ripped off Dune still suits here, but they really probably needed too (they ripped off worm riding in the previous chapter). Let's face it. Dune has done more to shape genre perceptions of the waste than perhaps any other work in history. Don't think of it as theft. Think of it as homage.

Magic is also a fine chapter. Here they treat with new types of spells, such as those that cause dehydration. They to a fine job of adding new deities and domains to deal with life in the waste. I liked it.

Chapter 6 is all about monsters. They could have snuck Muls and Half Giants in here and satisfied everyone, but alas, I'll have to go online for them. Again, I was fine with this section on waste monsters. If you run a waste campaign, you'll probably spend most of your time in this section, so they gave it just under a third of the book. Considering how tired monster sections are becoming in D&D books, I think they did an admirable job.

The final chapter contains three adventure sites, about twenty pages of what are essentially mini adventures. I was rather pleased with this section, because it speaks to a need in the audience. Whenever a new book comes out, everyone in a gaming group who likes the work becomes excited to add the new content into their games. I remember in the old days of 2nd Edition. When the Complete Fighters book came out, we started a new campaign of all fighters. When complete Thieves came out we did the same. We'd learned our lesson by the time Priests came out, if I remember right. We probably went back and started a new campaign of all fighters.

But I digress.

This section is fine. Instead of causing a rash of new campaigns and hundreds of illegal downloads of PDF versions of the old "I" series of modules, here we have the bones of three adventures. Twenty minutes of thought and a DM could easily dress them in the duds of his own campaign. Then the players can get the sand and the dust out of their system and make an informed decision about whether to continue gaming in the waste for the long term.

So, honestly, if you feel like gaming in waste environments (even in the planes), this book is probably worth your money. Does it have problems? Yes, but really, these aren't problems with this one book, but with the design philosophy of Wizards. If these elements don't bother you in other books, they probably won't bother you here. If they do bother you in other D&D supplements, well you've either stopped buying them or you've learned to deal with your frustration.

So in short, considering the structure imposed by Wizards, this is a fine work. Not the greatest achievement in Wizards history, but I'm happy to add it to my library. Now, let's get Cordell back to solo projects. I have games to run.

Useful for Desert Campaign Building, but not much else........2006-08-13

Make no mistake, sandstorm is a book about SAND. There is a discussion of volcanoes "hot" environs in general but they are little more than footnotes. Those seeking cultures and what not from Al-Qadim, or who are looking for Fading Sun (or whatever the old TSR official Psionics campaign was) classes, materials, and what not will be sorely disappointed. They could of EASILY bundled it up in this tome but they didn't. The book does cover many types of arid wasteland, describes the geography and of each and how you would determine what is what. They introduce a few new races for campaigns taking place in deserts (though not for Al Qadim or Fading sun as was said). I almost never use or allow races from splatbooks but I did like one of them. The class variants were purely to make the characters more survivable in a desert as were the prestige classes. This book really isn't for players. Where this book really shines is in it's adventures (three are included). Finally I have adventure ideas in deserts FOR ANY LEVEL CHARACTER!

Great Series.......2006-02-23

I'm a big fan of the Frostburn, Sandstorm, and Stormwrack series. If you're not planning to DM, the books provide interesting alternatives for your characters. If you DM and plan to do your writing for the campaign, these books are an excellent way to add flavor to your campaign. My favorite aspect to this book (and all of the environment books) is, not surprisingly, the guidance it gives in creating the relevant environment. Unlike one of the other reviewers, I view the prestige classes, feats, etc. as secondary. The point of this book is creation of waste environments, and this book is superb for that.

On the low side of mediocre.......2005-10-13

After Frostburn, which is a very similar book which I liked, I expected this one to be good too. I was wrong. Let's face it, we buy the supplimental DnD books for feats, prestige classes, spells and a few quirky magic bits. Most of the rest of these books are pretty poor. Once in a while the author takes the theme to another level, which I think they did with Frostburn to some extent, and Libris Mortis too. Sandstorm is almost a waste of time. The races, prestige classes and quirky magics are horrible and almost useless in any campaign. A good part of the feats are the same. And there isn't much mentioned on desert themed campaigns to complain about. "sigh". I'd recommend buying something like Heroes of Battle instead.

Good material, but a lot of derivative stuff.......2005-06-20

First, the obvious. This book, being the second in the series of Environmental supplements, follows the same format as the first book, Frostburn. It covers the environment, new races, classes and feats, equipment, magic, monsters, and adventure sites. I find it good that WotC is formatting its books in a common structure.

The Environment section is missing a few important things though. It touches on volcanic areas, but the rest of the book mostly focuses on deserts. It seems the volcanic stuff was either added in as filler, cut out for space, or the sections were written by different people. Its not clear whether this is supposed to be the "Hot Environment" book or just the "Desert" book. Also, there are a few notable environments missing. The plane of Mithardir in Arborea is totally missing. And it would have been nice to see a mention of Athas, the desert world of Dark Sun.

The new Asherati race seems very derivative of the D'Resh characters from Magi-Nation, from the physical appearance/description to some of their peculiar talents. The Ashworm Dragoon prestige class evokes visions of riding the sandworms in Dune, though its hard not to find similarities to that epic. Most of the other prestige classes are interesting, and can play very interesting roles in a campaign.

With the equipment, we have the hydration suit, a derivation of the Dune Still-suit - perhaps a necessity, but still pretty obvious. There are also obvious versions of real-world items such as suntan lotion or crude oil. The sand vehicles - desert variants of sailing ships - are good additions. But I would have liked to see more originality here.

The monsters have a good variety of challenges. A new (deceased) race called the marru are mentioned in several monster descriptions, though not in a lot of detail. Desert varieties of many creatures (dust hag, sand dragon, dry lich, etc.) are complimented by other novel creatures. But again, there are some hidden derivations. It is difficult not to compare the saguaro sentinel to any number of other cactus creatures which have appeared in anime, gaming or so forth. But the Sand Hunter is clearly derived from Vernor Vinge's Tine race from A Fire Upon The Deep.

I have no problem with people creating derivations. Its common enough in gaming, but it would be good to see credit given. I would suggest a list of references to other material in the future. This would not only credit ideas, but it would also let gamers find good extra material and ideas for campaigns.

There is still a wealth of information here, and I can say the book is a valuable resource for GMs who want to run desert campaigns or adventures. While not quite up to the standard set with Frostburn, its still a solid supplement

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