Sightseeking: Clues to the Landscape History of New England (Revisiting New England)

Book Description

How does one "read" a landscape? Inspired by the classic work of Hans Kurath documenting the dialect geography sub-regions of New England, Christopher J. Lenney set out to determine whether such patterns of linguistic migration were repeated in the everyday features of our man-made landscape. Through inspired conjecture and methodical fieldwork, Lenney discovered that at least six cultural and material artifacts could be mapped into similar flows and clusters: placenames, boundaries, townplans, roads, houses, and gravestones.

With infectious enthusiasm and wit, Lenney guides the reader through a historical and cultural examination of how this artificial landscape came to be. Of the many possible sources of placenames, for example, there are evident patterns of Algoquian and transplanted English; there is the obvious irony of patriot and Tory honored side by side. But what do we make of the apparent hodgepodge of placename suffixes that dot our maps--the -fields, -tons, -hams, and -burys that append themselves to our life and land? And how do we explain the "Great-Big" line, a dramatic yet invisible scar across the map of Maine?

The other five cultural markers similarly reveal themselves in a surprising patterning of the New England countryside--in the areas where the connected farmstead dominates, where recessed balconies or twin rearwall chimneys distinguish the scene; in the migration of gravestone cutters and their motifs, which left odd undulating waves of artistic expression throughout the region. Lenney forces the reader to reconsider the shape of the village greens, to wonder why old roads go where they go, and to question where (good neighbors and Robert Frost notwithstanding) we built stone walls.

By pushing us beyond mere sightseeing to "sightseeking," Lenney dares to fundamentally alter the way we--old-time Yankee, newcomer, and tourist alike--experience and interpret the New England landscape.

Customer Reviews:

Man's imprint on the landscape of New England.......2007-04-07

In this interesting book, Lenney looks at six man-made features of the New England landscape (placenames, boundaries, townplans, roads, houses, and gravestones) and attempts to "map" them while tracing their trends. Some of his discoveries are most intriguing: the "Great-Big Line" that can be drawn east-west across central Maine, north of which placenames employ the term Big, while south of the line Great is the overwhelming choice is one example; another is the fact that many early boundary lines run slightly NW-SE rather than straight N-S because the magnetic pole changes over time and during the 1600s magnetic north was farther NW than it is today. The shear number of ways Lenney details variants as he "seeks" New England landscape characteristics is truly amazing: the number of townplans discussed, for instance, is over a dozen and the number of house types is even higher (over 17). The book is simply loaded with fascinating information that will make anyone's next excursion through New England more worthwhile than ever - even if it's just via a book of detailed maps while sitting in an easy chair. Lenney is an engaging writer as well. The only fault I can find with the book is its total lack of photographs. Other than that, it's worth "seeking" out.

Customer Reviews:

To Honolulu in Five Days: Cruising Aboard Matson's S.S. Lurline.......2007-06-14

Fascinating and one of the only definative accounts of a wonderful and now bygone experience in ocean travel in the Pacific. A must for anyone with an interest in Matson Navigation or oceanic travel during that period.

Book Description

Why I hate Cameron Warner:

1. She stole my boyfriend.

2. She is the richest teen in NYC, with more designer shoes than a department store.

3. I have to plan a party so she can be crowned Debutante of the Year. Like I care!

4. Did I mention: She stole my boyfriend!!!!

Sixteen-year-old Adrienne Lewis is a nanny in the fabulous Warner penthouse high above Manhattan. Every day, Adrienne watches eight-year-old Emma after school and constantly tangles with Emma's beautiful but wicked teenage half sister, Cameron.

In the meantime, Adrienne's best friend, Liz Braun, has also gotten caught in the seductive web of society, going out on jaw-dropping dates with the devilishly handsome and wealthy Parker Devlin.

But is Parker playing Liz, or is this just how the rich play? And can money really buy everything for girls like Cameron—including Adrienne's own boyfriend?

Customer Reviews:

A wicked thrill ride through the Upper East Side that brings viciousness to new heights..........2006-05-02

Adrienne and Liz are still mingling with the over-privileged teens of Park Avenue. However, while they're working as nannies for genius-level children, the other teens are partying it up with platinum credit cards, and celebrities. But Adrienne and Liz still know how to have a little Upper East Side fun. Adrienne has been courted by Mrs. Warner - her boss - to break-up the relationship between stuck-up Cameron and Adrienne's ex-boyfriend, Brian, and readily agrees. After all, Adrienne has wanted to get back with Brian ever since Cameron stole him from her, and working alongside Mrs. Warner will give her a chance to earn some extra spending money - that will take her all the way to the posh designer shops with the best clothes. But breaking the two new lovebirds up proves to be more difficult than desired based on the fact that Cameron needs a date to the Manhattan Cotillion - where she will be coming out to New York society. Without Brian, she'll have no one to present her. Liz, on the other hand, is dating the prestigious pretty boy Parker - a guy with connections and good looks. Parker seems to be the perfect boyfriend - at times - but can be a totally different person when he wants. All Liz wants to know is whether Parker is cheating on her or not - but finding out the answer is harder than she's ever imagined. Now these two rich girl wannabes are at an ultimate face-off with the privileged Page Six princesses, and need every bit of luck - as well as some cash and connections - to set things back on track, and get to the bottom of the lies.

After reading CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN NANNY last year, I became hooked on the lifestyles of the rich - as well as the not-so-rich - and famous, and was unsure whether Victoria Ashton would be able to outdo herself with the sequel RICH GIRLS. Well, the proof is written in ink: she most certainly could. RICH GIRLS is a vicious sequel that will floor all readers, and leave them with a cliffhanger that will surely interfere with their own lives. As opposed to being totally about Adrienne's problems with Cameron - like in the series' first installment - RICH GIRLS focuses a lot of attention on Liz and her worries about Parker. From Manhattan to Aspen, RICH GIRLS brings every aspect of the rich to life, giving readers a birds-eye view of how the privileged spend every waking hour. A wicked thrill ride through the Upper East Side that brings viciousness to new heights.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Very good read.......2006-03-21

I am an adult who enjoys reading teen fiction. I had read the first book in this series and thought it was good. The second book in the series - Rich Girls is even better.

The basic storyline of two "non rich" girls working as nannies for two over the top rich families. One of the families has the requisite older rich sister - which, in this case, is obviously in the storyline to create havoc with our nannies.

Although some of the stuff may be a little over the top, the storylines are interesting and the author has a wonderful writing style.

I would definitely suggest buying this one.

An engrossing and vividly written sequel .......2006-03-17

Adrienne Lewis and Liz Braun are the best of friends. Attending separate schools is hard enough, but they also share the same occupation of being a nanny to spoiled rich kids whose parents have nothing better to do than to push them off on others. Things wouldn't be so bad if Liz wasn't dating Parker Devlin, the main guy at Adrienne's school. To top it off, Adrienne has some serious boy challenges of her own. Her archrival Cameron Warner, who also happens to be the big sister of the child she tends to, stole her ex-boyfriend Brian away from her and obviously has no intention of giving him back. Not to mention, Cameron doesn't even want to be with him; it's all about making Adrienne's life as miserable as possible.

With the holidays looming ahead, and the heavily anticipated debutante cotillion shortly following, Adrienne is at an impasse. Cameron's stepmother has voluntarily agreed to pay her to steal Brian back so that he won't be Cameron's escort, and Adrienne is up for the challenge. Hey, it's free money, right? When the Warners leave for Aspen, Adrienne is elated when Brian agrees to accompany her to dinner. Things start off well between them but end on a dry note as the family returns unexpectedly and spoils Adrienne's plans.

On the other side of town, Liz is fretting about her boyfriend Parker and his reputation for being a playboy. To make matters worse, she's a nanny for a psychologist who's psycho in every sense of the word. When she's invited to Aspen for the holidays to help with the kids, Liz is sure she'll get some time to spend with Parker. As luck should have it, she does get to spend a little time with him, but things don't turn out quite the way she expected.

As the rich society girls get ready for the debutante cotillion, Liz and Adrienne hatch a plan to make them all pay --- in one way or another. As the night unravels, although these two aren't being introduced into society, they sure are beautiful enough to take the spotlight off the main players of the ball, proving that money doesn't buy everything.

Victoria Ashton does a fabulous job with this storyline. The vivid details and dialogue between the characters add the right mix to make this second book in the series a definite winner.

--- Reviewed by Belinda Williams

Confessions of a Teen Nanny #2: Rich Girls

Average customer rating:

summer reading

Confessions of a Teen Nanny #2: Rich Girls

Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000AOEH1O

Product Description

Adrienne and Liz have entered the rarefied world of Manhattan's Upper East Side-a world manipulated by money and greed, populated by beautiful girls in beautiful clothes, and overflowing with drop-dead-gorgeous guys. It is a place where money can buy everything-if you are one of the rich girls. As sixteen-year-old Adrienne babysits precocious little Emma after school, she tangles with Emmas wicked teenage sister, Cameron-who has stolen Adrienne's boyfriend! Liz, also an after school nanny, enjoys being treated like a red-carpet princess by society bad boy Parker, but she soon fears that his affections for her are less than sincere.

Customer Reviews:

summer reading.......2006-06-15

This is the perfect book for relaxing on the beach. The characters are easy to relate to and the plot is pretty good. The story follows the lives of two girls working as nannies for families high up on the social meter. great book

Confessions of a Teen Nanny #2: Rich Girls (Confessions of a Teen Nanny)

Average customer rating:

Confessions of a Teen Nanny #2: Rich Girls (Confessions of a Teen Nanny)
Victoria Ashton
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OERSDE

Amazon.com

Is your brain like your computer? Well, (hopefully) it doesn't crash as often, and that's just one of many on the long list of differences. But psychiatrist Manfred Spitzer says neuroscientists have much to learn from the alternative computing architectures called neural nets. His book The Mind Within the Net is a look at biological and electronic networks, their similarities, and what each can tell us about the other, with a particular emphasis on his own field. We've known for decades how individual neurons work. It's taken recent advances in neural computing to help us learn how brain systems might take advantage of their unique dynamics to help us see, walk, and keep the trains running on time.

Covering the basics of both neuroscience and neural computing with a user-friendly, but not oversimplified, prose style, Spitzer then moves on to the often striking similarities in function between simple electronic networks and mechanisms within the brain. Keeping in mind the importance of recognizing models as such, he takes pains to point out that there are some aspects of computing for which there is little comparison to biological systems. However, the similarities between different network degradations and such diverse problems as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and depression are compelling and potentially important. It's not often that we get a new batch of metaphors to help us understand ourselves; this may be the paradigm shift we've been waiting for. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

Neurophysiology has told us a lot about how neurons work; neural network theory is about how neurons work together to process information. In this highly readable book, Manfred Spitzer provides a basic, nonmathematical introduction to neural networks and their clinical applications. Part I explains the fundamental theory of neural networks and how neural network models work. Part II covers the principles of network functioning and how computer simulations of neural networks have profound consequences for our understanding of how the brain works. Part III covers applications of network models (e.g., to knowledge representation, language, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease) that shed new light on normal and abnormal states of mind. Finally, Spitzer concludes with his thoughts on the ramifications of neural networks for the understanding of neuropsychology and human nature.

Customer Reviews:

A great book about models of the brain and psychiatry.......2001-10-11

This is one of those precious books I love for their clarity and density of real information. The author is a psychiatrist and a neuromimetic model enthusiast who tries to communicate his enthusiasm to the reader. There is no mistake when it is about things I know well (I am more into statistical learning than biology), even when the author simplifies the topic to make it understandable to the non-specialist. The figures also are neat and clear. A great book.

Reaffirms a new era - outstanding.......2000-06-07

As a psychiatrist who is concerned about reconciling psychoanalytic and neurophysiologic perspectives, this book provides a substantial foundation to this endeavor. I find the book notably helpful in teaching analytic and psychodynamic approaches to new psychiatrists. It begins to suggest a new discourse through which clinical practice may be described. I am thankful that we have this book and look forward to more work by Manfred Spitzer.

Excellent!.......2000-05-05

I have had difficulty getting a good understanding of neural networks from other books which are heavily based in math. Everything in this book was very easy to absorb and the quality of the content puts most books to shame. The way the author connects neural network models to real life situations is excellent. This book is a must have for anyone doing anything with neural networks.

Mediocre review of Neural Networks.......2000-02-08

Besides grammatical mistakes and obvious errors in translation, the book doesn't delve deep into the places it promises, and concentrates on analogies that play to the lay-est of laymen rather than focusing on the actual data and theories of neural networks. Chapters on neuroplasticity and feedback are worthwhile, but the book quickly derails onto a scene of neuroscientific generalism, which seems to be the popular fad among most brain books today, which seem to pass around the same cache of information on L-Dopa, homunculi, and Aplysia to take up a good 25% of 75% of the books in print. Good for an introduction to neural nets and semantic networks, but not a valuable reference.

Are neural networks the basis for brain function?.......1999-12-02

Even though I'm not a neuroscientist or neural computing expert, I found this book to be an excellent discussion of neural networks and how they seem to at least provide models for (and may actually be the primary mechanism of) brain function.

In the book's three sections ("Basics", "Principles", and "Applications"), Spitzer's lucid writing describes neural networks, current concepts in learning, how cortical organization relates to networks, and many specific examples which describe how research is illuminating the challenging topic of how the mind works.

His illustrations complement the text perfectly, he cites references as needed, he provides a glossary of the terms he uses, and his index provides quick access for review.

This book has been a pleasure to read, and I hope the author updates it as research progresses.

Average customer rating:
The Mind within the Net: Models of Learning, Thinking, and Acting
Manfred Spitzer
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQKIU2

Book Description

Encourage an appreciation of organic chemistry, its practice, and its application to the "real world" with Essentials of Organic Chemistry. Designed to supplement a one-semester organic chemistry lecture course, this laboratory text provides various experiments covering a wide range of difficulty, instrumentation, and chemical techniques. Basic information concerning lab safety, waste disposal, and instrumental methods are also included along with experiments that illustrate basic organic chemical reactions relating to everyday materials.

Book Description

The book presents basic structures, concepts and algorithms in the area of multilayer optimizing control of industrial systems, as well as the results of the research that was carried out by the authors over the last two decades. The methodologies and control algorithms are thoroughly illustrated by numerous simulation examples. Also, the applications to several case study examples are presented. These include ethylene distillation column, vaporizer pilot scale plant, styrene distillation line consisting of three columns and industrial furnace pilot scale plant. A temporal decomposition is applied to the Integrated Wastewater System case study to derive multilayer dynamic optimizing controller with repetitive robust model predictive control mechanism distributed over the layers operating in different time scales.

Average customer rating:

No Definitive at All & Too Much Mafia

A Feast Indeed!

A book full of discoveries

Delightfully Lost

Nice going, Tonelli

The Italian American Reader: A Collection of Outstanding Stories, Memoirs, Journalism, Essays, and Poetry
Bill Tonelli , and Nick Tosches
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | History & Criticism | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Collections & Readers | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Don't Tell Mama!: The Penguin Book of Italian American Writing

Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America

La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American Experience

ASIN: 0060006668
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Book Description

The Italian American Reader has been seven decades in the making. It could simply and accurately be described as a dazzlingly smart and lively collection of superb works by some of America's most gifted writers. All their surnames happen to end in vowels, true, but that need not affect your enjoyment of this volume one way or the other. America, too, is an Italian name ending in a vowel.

Inside, there are nearly seventy excellent things for you to read -- excerpts from novels and memoirs, short stories, essays, and poems -- by the living and the dead, the famous and the obscure. Some date back to the 1930s; others were freshly hatched in the twenty-first century. They are variously moving, funny, poignant, lusty, biting, reverent, witty, loving, angry, and wise. They deal in the most profound aspects of our lives no matter who we are: home, love, sex, family, food, work, God, death. Many feature familiar Italian American characters, settings, and themes, but not all.

No matter what they are about, they are all in the end about who and what we are, the essence of history and memory and blood. There are gangsters in here, but there are grandmas too, along side lovers and fighters, thinkers and doers, cops and robbers, poets and grocers, sinners and saints. There are plenty of moms and pops and aunts and uncles and cousins. Frank Sinatra and the Virgin Mary make appearances.

This anthology is a genuine landmark -- the first general-reader hardcover collection of writing by Italian American authors. It is part manifesto, part Sunday dinner -- a gathering of voices old and new, some speaking in the accents of another age, some completely contemporary and assured, all together for the first time. To stand with all the other popular media images we represent, now, at last, one exists in written form, the literature of Italian American lifethe past, present, and future, which is also America's future.

Customer Reviews:

No Definitive at All & Too Much Mafia.......2003-12-04

This book is not at all definitive. DON'T TELL MAMA from Viking or FROM THE MARGIN from Purdue U Press are better represenations of the top Italian American authors. Authors like Daniela Gioseffi, Ben Morreale, Gioia Timpanelli or Maria Mazziotti belong here more than some who are represented. And, Tonelli, a jerk about the Mafia stereotype and a fan of the horrible defamatory Sopranos ought to be tarred and feathered and ousted from his own community for representing the over glut of Mafia stories perpetuated by a myth that refuses to recognize the most important fact about Italian American culture; There is no more percentage of organized crime among Italian Americans than any other ethnic group. less. than .01 % of Italian Americans are involved in organized crime and there is no big international Mafia cartel of Italians involved in crime. That was a myth perpetuated by certain powers to make a scape goat for syndicated crime. The S & L scandal of white collar crime on Wall St. and the Enron, Anderson debacle are still the greatest crimes of theivery committed in the history of the world. Hollywood and television have deliberately tried to scapegoat Italians to keep the eye off the real international criminals, and Tonelli should know better than to represent this theme at all. He is a fool for falling for this social engineering and it mars his book horribly, along with the fact that he leaves some of the best writers of all out. Other books on this subject have done a better job, and how can the reviewer from BOOK LIST get away with such nonsense, by saying the culture that produced Michaelangelo, which is the mainland Italian culture, did not produce a Shakespeare? Where has that reader been that he hasn't heard of Dante, the predated, rival of Shakespeare and the great world writer of Italian literature and culture--a different matter than Italian American immigrant culture. Tonelli and his misguided reveiwers show their ignorance. though Tonelli does well to include Mario Puzo's THE FORTUNATE PILGRIM mistitled in the first media review above. It is Puzo's best and truest book --much better than The Godfather, according to Puzo and all his literary critics, too. So read it instead while we send Tonelli back to the drawing boards to do a better job of representing his culture. He's an upstart who really doesn't know how to edit a good book on his subject. And his professional reviewers at top make factual mistakes and don't really know the subject well enough to write a true reveiw.

A Feast Indeed!.......2003-08-03

I've been savoring every selection, so I add my thanks to Bill Tonelli for taking me back...

A book full of discoveries.......2003-04-11

I was familiar with some of the better-known authors (Mario Puzo, Gay Talese) but I'm finding one wonderful writer after another thanks to this terrific collection. As a result of this I've already ordered books by Rita Ciresi, Josephine Gattuso Hendin, Richard Russo--all of whom wrote great domestic fiction, not a gangster or a gun in sight, for the book. They're writing about the average Italian American life, which has always existed out here in its normal, law-abiding way, though you might not know it if you never move from in front of the TV. Now I'm going to try and convince my reading club to do this book next. A real find.

Delightfully Lost.......2003-04-11

Even for non-Italians this book has merit. I used it as airplane literature, and every time I looked up it was an hour later. Tonelli's made a nice selection blending auto-biographical material with fiction and poetry. It reads like a big box of chocolates - it's hard to stop at just one, that next one looks.....

Nice going, Tonelli.......2003-04-08

This book is a feast.

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