John Burroughs And the Place of Nature

Customer Reviews:

A valueable addition to the orchid flora of New Guinea.......2002-02-02

This 584-page book deals with some 269 species covering 55 genera. These are fully described with accompanying line drawings and over 130 of them are illustrated in colour.

The introductory chapters deal with the geography, climate and vegetation of Papua New Guinea as well as the conservation and classification of New Guinean orchids. This book, a massive undertaking in itself, is a bold start in making known to the orchid world the unusual and spectacular orchid flora of Papua New Guinea.

The island of New Guinea boast more than ten percent of all known orchid species. Although the author limited himself to species found only in the lowlands this book is a most valueable addition.

Customer Reviews:

Love this book.......2004-09-04

Love this book - it's got all the information you want in an easy to read and find format. Not too detailed. Just detailed enough. Wish they would update the book. Most recent edition is 1996. But we just took a trip and a lot of the information was still relevant.

Great traveling companion!.......1998-06-15

The greatest thing this book did for me was to turn me on to Cape Ann, Massachusetts. Overall, the book is great, with good directions and a great selection of lodging and activities. There's a lot to Massachusetts besides Boston and Cape Cod!!

The Other Massachusetts: Beyond Boston and Cape Cod (An Explorer's guide)

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The Other Massachusetts: Beyond Boston and Cape Cod (An Explorer's guide)
Christina Tree
Manufacturer: Countryman Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0881500755

Customer Reviews:

Put yourself inside the heads of folks who fought this war........1998-06-08

I was doing genological research and wanted to understand better what the folks who were involved in the Mexican War were thinking, why they fought, where they came from, etc. This book did that and more. It is incredible to read the very words of these soldiers--it makes you realize that there is very little difference between our us and our ancestors. No one can explain it better than their own words.

Mexico views manifest destiny, 1821-1846: An essay on the origins of the Mexican War

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Mexico views manifest destiny, 1821-1846: An essay on the origins of the Mexican War
Gene M Brack
Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

The Mexican War: Manifest Destiny (A First Book)

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The Mexican War: Manifest Destiny (A First Book)
Alden R. Carter
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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The Spanish-American War: Imperial Ambitions (First Book)
American Tragedy the Civil War (First Book)
The War of 1812: Second Fight for Independence (First Book)

ASIN: 0531156567

The Mexican War - Was It Manifest Destiny

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The Mexican War - Was It Manifest Destiny

Manufacturer: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000CDHXOG

Product Description

The Mexican War - Was it Manifest Destiny? all about the war and reflections of the war.

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The Mexican War : Was It Manifest Destiny?
Ramon Eduardo Ruiz
Manufacturer: Harcourt School
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0030411807

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THE MEXICAN WAR WAS IS MANIFEST DESTINY

Manufacturer: Dryden Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQG9J4

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The Mexican War Was it Manifest Destiny?
Ramon Eduardo Ruiz
Manufacturer: Holt, Rinehart & Winston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ONC2O0

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THE MEXICAN WAR: Was It Manifest Destiny?
ed. Ramon Eduardo Ruiz
Manufacturer: The Dryden Press: later printing.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MCATKC

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Mexico Views Manifest Destiny 1821-1846 - An Essay On The Origins Of The Mexican War
Gene M. Brack -
Manufacturer: University Of Mexico Press -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UMQZ02

Manifest destiny: The Mexican War and the conquest of California (Christian perspectives on history)

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Manifest destiny: The Mexican War and the conquest of California (Christian perspectives on history)
Ronald Wells
Manufacturer: National Union of Christian Schools
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0874633273

Book Description

Be in Charge: A Leadership Manual defines what "leadership" is. It includes comprehensive coverage on various types of chiefs (including both business and academic) and discusses gender differences in leadership styles. Also included are terrific tips on how to dress as a leader, budget time efficiently, gain loyalty and respect, terminate employees professionally, recruit qualified people, treat adversity in the workplace, survive and enjoy retirement, and much more.

Key Features
* A Foreword by Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of GE, comments on the author's leadership expertise
* Original cartoon artwork enriches the text as well as entertains the reader
* Contains advice for women on how to break through "the glass ceiling" to become executives
* Includes information on the differences between business and academic chiefs
* Gives practical tips on how to dress as a leader, budget time efficiently, gain loyalty and respect, terminate employees professionally, recruit qualified people, treat adversity in the workplace, survive and enjoy retirement, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

Manual? A Brochure is more like it........2003-07-10

I have never been so disappointed in a book.

I'll start with a positive comment. There's a few nice tips in this book, and if you never worked in an office, and had no social skills, this book might get you through the first week of a new job.

Unfortunately, that's about the extent of this ... hardcover book.

Now the criticism:

First, this book is incredibly short. I knew to begin with that it only had 118 pages. What I didn't realize was that it is filled with cartoons and white space.

Second, given the length of the book, it covers a huge amount of material. In the end the coverage is ridiculously elementary. This might have been a great book for the high schooler considering a career in business, except that it only addresses executives. It says such mundaine things like, "the dress code is an important part of the 1st impression that subordinates will gain upon seeing the chief in the beginning of his tenure." Well, duh. Who's the CEO who gets hired and needs this kind of advice. It also spends only 3 pages on the issue of gender in the work place.

Third, what's with the price? At best this should be a ... paperback you stick in someone's Christmas stocking when you don't know what else to get them- along with the pocket edition of the Art of War. Instead it's a ...hardback. ...

All in all, a sad showing.

Be in Charge: A Leadership Manual : How to Stay on Top
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Be in Charge: A Leadership Manual : How to Stay on Top
Alexander R. Margulis
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHFUR2

Book Description

Cellular Automata Transforms describes a new approach to using the dynamical system, popularly known as cellular automata (CA), as a tool for conducting transforms on data. Cellular automata have generated a great deal of interest since the early 1960s when John Conway created the `Game of Life'. This book takes a more serious look at CA by describing methods by which information building blocks, called basis functions (or bases), can be generated from the evolving states. These information blocks can then be used to construct any data. A typical dynamical system such as CA tend to involve an infinite possibilities of rules that define the inherent elements, neighborhood size, shape, number of states, and modes of association, etc. To be able to build these building blocks an elegant method had to be developed to address a large subset of these rules. A new formula, which allows for the definition a large subset of possible rules, is described in the book. The robustness of this formula allows searching of the CA rule space in order to develop applications for multimedia compression, data encryption and process modeling.
Cellular Automata Transforms is divided into two parts. In Part I the fundamentals of cellular automata, including the history and traditional applications are outlined. The challenges faced in using CA to solve practical problems are described. The basic theory behind Cellular Automata Transforms (CAT) is developed in this part of the book. Techniques by which the evolving states of a cellular automaton can be converted into information building blocks are taught. The methods (including fast convolutions) by which forward and inverse transforms of any data can be achieved are also presented.
Part II contains a description of applications of CAT. Chapter 4 describes digital image compression, audio compression and synthetic audio generation, three approaches for compressing video data. Chapter 5 contains both symmetric and public-key implementation of CAT encryption. Possible methods of attack are also outlined. Chapter 6 looks at process modeling by solving differential and integral equations. Examples are drawn from physics and fluid dynamics.

Customer Reviews:

If you really want to read it,try to find it at the library........2003-08-07

I'm a computer science student working on a masters degree and looking for a thesis topic. CA are an interest of mine and I thought this book might give me some ideas. My first complaint is that there was obviously no quality control. The last paragraph on page 6 is mistakenly reprinted on page 7, and the same thing happens again on pages 8 & 9. Ok, not a huge problem, but it does lead me to question the validity the rest of the book, and when one pays close to $$$$ for a book, it's a slap in the face when such a simple error is not caught before mass publication. I don't know if there is more than one edition, but my copy has a 2000 copyright.

My second complaint is, like another reviewer stated, the reader is often left scratching his/her head trying to understand the rationale/logic of statements as often little or no explaination. I haven't been able to figure out Table 2.1 which is an example of mapping Wolfram Rules (a widely accepted and understood rule numbering scheme) to the author's (I presume) invented "w-set". I tried using his explaination: W7 = x0; W6 = x1 - W7; etc... to make sense of the table but I couldn't get the results in the table using his algorithm. I'm not saying he's wrong, though my faith in the correctness of the book is shaky, but he doesn't clearly explain himself.

Excellent Resource.......2003-04-07

I thought this was an excellent book. I'd been briefed on cellular automata before reading this book, so I did not find the read difficult. This is not a book for beginners; I feel it is more geared towards those who have a basic understanding of cellular automata and want to go deeper and learn more. This book discussed inventive uses for the cellular automata rule (particularly data encryption, which I found to be an exceptional use of the rule). If the author writes another version...I will be one of the first in line to purchase it.

Good ideas but few explanations.......2001-02-14

This book is definitely not for beginners. It has a lot of ideas inside but a only a few of them are explained. Moreover, C-Code doesn't seem to work. I can't wait for the (un-bugged) second version. Good try though.

Book Description

Did possessing and killing amount to the same thing deep within the dark recesses of the human beast? La Bete humaine (1890), is one of Zola's most violent and explicit works. On one level a tale of murder, passion and possession, it is also a compassionate study of individuals derailed by atavistic forces beyond their control. Zola considered this his `most finely worked' novel, and in it he powerfully evokes life at the end of the Second Empire in France, where society seemed to be hurtling into the future like the new locomotives and railways it was building. While expressing the hope that human nature evolves through education and gradually frees itself of the burden of inherited evil, he is constantly reminding us that under the veneer of technological progress there remains, always, the beast within. This new translation captures Zola's fast-paced yet deliberately dispassionate style, while the introduction and detailed notes place the novel in its social, historical, and literary context.

Download Description

Les Rougon-Macquart
En entrant dans la chambre, Roubaud posa sur la table le pain d'une livre, le pâté et la bouteille de vin blanc. Mais, le matin, avant de descendre à son poste, la mère Victoire avait dû couvrir le feu de son poêle, d'un tel poussier, que la chaleur était suffocante. Et le sous-chef de gare, ayant ouvert une fenêtre, s'y accouda.

Customer Reviews:

Murder on the PARIS express meets Tell Tale Heart.......2007-09-22

This is the first Zola novel I have read and I could not put it down. Though in many instances the author gives very lengthy and detailed descriptions that slow the flow of the novel, the plight of the main characters finds a way to captivate the audience and keep them reading. This book, written in the late 19th century, has all the elements that current suspense fiction is famous for. Murder, cover up, suspicion, adultry, jealousy, revenge; the list goes on and on.

Zola meets Dostoevski at Kafka's house.......2006-08-24

This is one of the most violent novels ever written. As other novels in the Rougon-Macquart series focused on alcoholism or prostitution or politics or the artworld, this novel focuses on murder. It seems that every character here is some kind of murderer, that the entire human race consists either of murderers or potential murderers needing only the right spark to set off their explosions. The setting for Zola's story is the world of the Paris railroad, the neighborhood around the Gare St.Lazare, a fitting environment in which to place people who often seem more like mechanized murder-machines than well-rounded human beings. The power of this novel comes not from its realism but from its strangeness. It is, in its way, as bizarre as anything concocted by Hoffmann or Poe. This is where Zola's Naturalism comes full-circle and meets the Poe-esque terror of "Therese Raquin", Zola's early 'Naturalistic' ghost story. The conjunction gives this novel more of a Modernist feel than we usually find in Zola's work.
I should also mention the prose. The publisher's choice of a Monet 'Gare St.Lazare' painting for the cover of this edition is fitting because Zola's prose here seems to be influenced by his own experience of Impressionist paintings. It seems that Monet and his cohorts taught Zola how to see and describe the modern world in a new way.

Trainspotting.......2005-07-28

Jacques seems like a normal man from the outside, and judged by the standards of his contempraries he is. It's the Second Empire and as Zola has foreseen, the rise of the steam railway has created enormous changes in the fabric of the social order. To analyze this phenomenon more deeply, Zola hit on a lovely idea, to investigate the lives of those who work on the railroad and its linked industries. What he didn't expect was what he came up with, a clear link between sex murder and high speed railways. This link was to give rise within a few years of LA BETE HUMAINE's publication to the so-called "trunk murders." As Jacques realizes, trains make it possible to remove one of the awkward social reasons why men do not kill--because in general it was impossible to remove oneself from one's victim's body fast enough to avert suspicion. You coukd bury the body, but it could still be traced back to you. Now, in the 1880s, really all you had to do was put it on a train and science would steam it away from you at great rates of speed, putting infinite distances between you and your crime.

Agatha Christie took some elements of LA BETE HUMAINE and modernized them a bit in her 1950s thriller THE 4:20 FROM PADDINGTON. Both novels share the same surrealistic image--the murder seen framed in the window of a passing train that you see, so vividly, for one moment only, then it's gone as though it never happened. (Freudians interpret this discomfiture as another version of the so-called "primal scene.") Christie's murderer is a sort of updated Jacques, a man on whom the veneer of civilization is only as thick as his bank account and his convenience.

But, in LA BETE HUMAINE, if you think Jacques is badm wait till you meet up with Severine, the "heroine" of the book, a woman so bad she makes other noir protagonists look like Pollyanna. She is beautiful, selfish, conniving, self-absorbed and yet what makes her tick is her acute understanding of her social position and the way things get done, and undone, by forces we cannot control. The negotiation of such tricky, slippery moral slopes is something that a sociopath can handle with ease. No wonder this novel made such good "noir" movies later on, one by Renoir, one by Fritz Lang.

A thriller with depth.......2005-05-04

In this book, Zola dives headlong into his fascination with "the human beast" by examining the psychology of murder. The novel is also a detailed portrait of the lives of railroad workers. The main character is Jacques Lantier, son of Gervaise Macquart (of L'Assomoir), a railroad engineer who works the line between Paris and Le Havre. Jacques feels a nagging compulsion to kill every woman he's attracted to. Fortunately, up to this point he has been able to control himself, but who knows how long he will be able to restrain the killer inside? Jacques is not the only character with murder on his mind; in fact, everyone in the book seems to be plotting to kill someone. Murder for love, murder for greed, murder for revenge are all represented. Zola has crammed so much violence and suspense into the plot, that on the surface he's written a fabulous piece of pulp fiction. Though the book pushes the boundaries of believability, it's also a fascinating study of human nature. The reader gains a window into the minds of the characters that reminds one of Poe's best tales. Underlying the criminal plot threads is a deeper level of social commentary, scientific inquiry, and philosophical debate. Zola shows how the rise of industrial technology contributes to the moral degeneration and dehumanization of the populace. He portrays Jacques' relationship with his engine as a symbiotic, almost romantic relationship. Meanwhile Jacques' Aunt Phasie and her family operate a crossing/switching station in the middle of nowhere, where their only interaction with the outside world comes in split-second views of nameless passengers being carted off to unknown destinations. While the railroad provides speed and convenience, it also generates social isolation and anonymity. Fans of Zola or readers of classical literature in general will certainly enjoy this book. Even fans of contemporary suspense fiction should find it entertaining and thought-provoking.

A Victim of Beastly Instincts.......2004-04-15

There is something very profound in "La Bete Humaine/The Beast in Man", in spite of the fact that all of its characters have a very superficial mentality. Its scenes recreate very well the atmosphere of the late days of the Second Empire. Jacques Lantier is the main character, but the novel is not at all centered around him or his urge to kill women; only as late as chapter eight he attempts to commit a violent act and it is as late as chapter eleven that he does commit a violent act. The abundance of adultery, police incompetence, two single murders (chapters one and twelve), a multiple murder (chapter ten) both committed purely out of jealousy and an uxoricide committed out of greed all show the living environment and the morale of those days. Definitely, one of the major novels of the Rougon-Macquart series.

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Emile Zola : "La Bête humaine"
Labesse
Manufacturer: Ellipses Marketing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 2729869093

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La Bete Humaine
Emile Zola
Manufacturer: Booking International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OCO81Q

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La Bete Humaine
Emile Zola
Manufacturer: Fasquelle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000IWGDP6

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La Bete Humaine
Emile Zola
Manufacturer: Fasquelle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H0VTYE

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La Bete Humaine
Emile Zola
Manufacturer: GARNIER FLAMMARION
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UYSCTM

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La Bete Humaine Penguin Classic
Emile Zola
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NJ0Y9U

Product Description

Translated with an introduction by Leonard Tancock

La bete singuliere: Les juifs, les chretiens et le cochon (Bibliotheque des sciences humaines)

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La bete singuliere: Les juifs, les chretiens et le cochon (Bibliotheque des sciences humaines)
Claudine Fabre-Vassas
Manufacturer: Gallimard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Folklore & Mythology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 207073448X

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La bête humaine d'Emile Zola
Philippe Hamon
Manufacturer: Gallimard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 2070386511

$La\Bete Humaine$
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La\Bete Humaine
Emile Zola
Manufacturer: French & European Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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La Bête Humaine (Penguin Classics)

ASIN: 0686557697

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