Taxes, Loans, and Inflation: How the Nation's Wealth Becomes Misallocated (Studies of Government Finance, Second Series)

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful and unmarred .......2005-06-07

I purchased this volume because it reprints Glenn Fabry's beautifully painted covers without any other details such as the name of the book, number, or upc marking them up. It's just the paintings, and they are a wonder to behold. Fabry's art is so fabulous, so realistic, so wonderful.

It also was supposed to contain details and comments by both Glenn Fabry himself, and the ever expressive Garth Ennis. However, I was slightly disappointed that both of them kept their comments so brief. Only a few of the covers have comments that actually shed any light on the series, other comments were `turn the page' or `I have nothing to say'.

Also, this is just the covers. It contains no Preacher story material.

So it's great if you're a fan of Fabry's, but if you're looking for something to read, or something that will give you great insight into the Preacher series, you might want to look elsewhere.

Disappointing.......2004-02-07

Undoubtadly one of the best comic series' ever created since the Sandman, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's Preacher saga is still one of the most revered and beloved comics of all time. Dead or Alive, a collection of every issue's covers and supposed to be loaded with extras, was anxiously awaited by loyal fans of the series, and much to their disappointment, this collection offers little. While it does offer every Glen Fabry cover of every issue in the series, the original cover for issue #52 (a cover which was scrapped because of the Columbine incident) is not here, yet it is discussed. Also, the much looked forward to commentary by Ennis and Fabry is the biggest disappointment in the book. There are a few chuckles here and there, but it is scant and does not go as in depth as many had hoped. Other features, such as original sketches and the fantasticly drawn covers themselves, are worth taking a look at the book for, but die hard Preacher fans will feel gyped and only wish there was more.

Nothing New For Longtime Fans...........2003-06-24

As a longtime of Garth Ennis' legendary DC/Vertigo comic Preacher, I was very excited to see this collection, which promised not only every Glenn Fabry cover from the series, related mini-series and one-shots, and trade paperbacks, but commentary by Fabry and Ennis, behind-the-scenes stuff like sketches and rejected covers. The book is a great buy for newer fans, but longtime Preacher faithful won't find nearly enough value for the hefty price tag. Ennis and Fabry's comments are REALLY brief, and although there are a few laughs to be had from the acerbic duo, two or three chuckles do not make a book worth thirty smackers. The most glaring omission is the original cover from Preacher #52; The depiction of an 8 year-old Tulip getting a gun for Christmas from her Dad was scrapped because of the Columbine school shootings. The cover is discussed here, but not shown. Considering the unused cover was the primary reason for my buying the book in the first place, I was pretty angry to find it wasn't included. It's a nice-looking book, but if you've been a fan of Preacher for a while, chances are you've seen every piece of Fabry art contained here.

Nothing New For Longtime Fans...........2003-06-24

"A hell of a vision".......2000-11-20

In my crowded apartment, there's very few comic books in my collection that don't get put away in a comic longbox. Only a handful of titles make the cut to be displayed on my bookshelf: Neil Gaiman's "Sandman," James Robinson's "Starman," Jeff Smith's "Bone," and Garth Ennis's "Preacher": all of these I keep out to take down and read again and again.

Too often these days a comic book series is plagued by shifting writers, interior artists, and cover artists; it's a rare case when a unifying vision keeps a top team together for a full run on a series. It's even more rare when the team (writer Ennis, interior artists Steve Dillon, and cover artist Glenn Fabry) produce one of the more controversial, black-humored, anarchic, and *human* comic books in the past ten years. It's Ennis's writing that kept me coming back month after month, but it was the vibrant, vaguely unsettling Fabry portrait of Jesse Custer on the first issue that got me to pick the series up in the first place (well, that and my friend J.C. telling me I'd be a wanker if I passed on this series).

This gorgeous color collection of the original painted covers to the recently-concluded "Preacher" series is a great overview of how, month after month, Fabry's powerful art unified the series and made it one of the most distinctive and outrageous on the comic book stands. Plenty of original sketches show how covers evolved, and the covers themselves are reproduced without logos or sales information to give you the full effect of the art. Ennis and Fabry comment on (and critique) each cover. My only complaint is that the commentary is sometimes somewhat skimpy commentary.

A fair warning: like the series itself, this collection is not for everyone. Black-humored, blasphemous, sometimes physically grotesque but always powerful, these images have the power to offend...well, just about everybody. It helps to be a Preacher fan and understand these images in context, and to come to this collection with an open mind and a sense of humor.

For a "Preacher' fan this is a necessity; I'd even recommend it to graphics people or budding artists as a great overview of design and anatomy that straddles the grotesque and the fantastic. You'll proudly display it on your bookshelf next to your paperback bound volumes of the Preacher comic. (Now, DC, now about issuing the comic volumes themselves in hardcover much like the Gaiman "Sandman" volumes?)

Average customer rating:
Dead Or Alive :Preacher Covers
Glenn/ennis Fabry
Manufacturer: DC COMICS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N5ZQBK

Book Description

They lay up on par 3s. They reek of Ben-Gay. They can be spotted six holes away in their yellow pants and white belts. And after every shot, they ask, "Did anyone see where my ball went'"They're the over-the-hill golfers, a breed of golfer that to know is to loveæso long as you're not playing behind a foursome of them. You're an Over-the-Hill Golfer When . . . takes fun, lighthearted jabs at those whose birdie-making days are well behind them. The book is filled with signs that will help the over-the-hill golfer in your life recognize that he just may be past his golf-playing prime: Your swing isn't strong enough to create back pain, but your back hurts anyway. Your golf bag doubles as a medicine cabinet. Seven A.M. is your idea of a late tee time. You can't wait to get to the 19th hole . . . to play pinochle.

Book Description

This encyclopedic look at America's most famous and infamous pop culture events includes historical information on more than 600 landmarks and their exact locations. Sites include the Hollywood Boulevard beauty salon where Marilyn Monroe first dyed her hair blonde, the prison used in the Shawshank Redemption, and the birthplace of the hot fudge sundae. Special sidebar sections are dedicated to Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Ernest Hemingway, Bonnie and Clyde, Alfred Hitchcock, and more. An amazing portrait of the bizarre, shocking, weird, and wonderful moments that have come to define American culture, this follow-up to the acclaimed James Dean Died Here continues to uncover the unseemly and beautiful in the American landscape.

Customer Reviews:

Need More? More Locations Of America's Pop Icons...........2006-08-17

Need a book giving you more places to look for on your journeys across the USA? Well, this is a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed this addition and it just adds more onto the original. If you liked the 1st one, then you'll love this one.

Enjoy!

Interesting Locales, Volume Two.......2006-03-26

This follow-up volume to Epting's earlier "James Dean Died Here" is every bit as interesting, although the sites he singles out seem a little less (in)famous than those in the first book. Read this (and James Dean Died Here) if you'd ever like to spice up your road trips by physically connecting to the scenes of some noteworthy pop culture events. Even if you don't visit these places, this is still a fun read.

Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here.......2005-07-19

With a title like that, who wouldn't open the cover of this book to see what is inside ? Another great, (James Dean Died Here), by Chris Epting. Who would have thought that another book would be just as great as the first ? If you are interested in pop culture, then this is a must have. See where, when, why, and how it happened. With a brief summary, address, and photograph of most, you'll have no problem locating that favorite spot of yours, whether it happened in the movies, real life, in sports, or in crime. A nice addition to the historian's library.

Fun look for history off the beaten path.......2004-07-05

Epting showed us where to find those places read about or seen in the movies, or on TV with his first boo "James Dean Died Here." In "Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here" he's back for another round of our cultural history, the book is not as rich as his first one. Sometimes it feels as if he's being forced to scrape the barrel a bit more for his landmarks. There are still a lot of fascinating places to be found and visited, but his first book used most of his 1st string material, so here he is often forced to revisit movies and events, and find the *other* places that might not be so important or known. As others have said, one would like to have more pictures, but a number of the places visited this time can't have pictures - the site is gone, or are a bit more generic. Would the listing for the hospital where the first test tube twins were born be a better listing if there was a picture of the building? I think not.

That said, the book is still a great trip along memory lane. Finding places where the famous and infamous met their end (there's a great section on the end of many of the gangsters we have heard about) or the building we saw in the movies, or every week on TV. Epting also is very good at noting what places are private, helping to try and prevent the curious trespassing. For those with a literary leaning, many of our famous authors are put in the locations where they produced their masterpieces. It's the kind of book you toss into the car for a road trip, or leave out on the coffee table for a conversation starter. The two volumes make an indispensable set for any fan of popular culture and the offbeat.

Great Conversation.......2004-06-05

"Marylin Monroe Dyed Here" is one of those books that spawn great conversations. For those of you that own or have read Epting's first book, "James Dean Died Here" you know exactly what I'm talking about. It is FILLED with all kinds of killer facts and locations where historical Pop-Culture events took place. For instance, did you know the community park where "Bad News Bears" was shot, was actually built for the movie? Or do you know the location where the Rolling Stones recorded "Satisfaction" or "Paint it Black"? Or the fact that the opening for the show "Three's Company" was shot on the Santa Monica boardwalk? There are tons of facts from movies and music, to celebrations and murders!

You'll be amazed with all the information you'll find in this book (not to mention the cool cover design). And no matter where you live, there is probably an event that took place in your town which makes it relevant to practically everybody living in the United States. This book has facts which go back hundreds of years all the way up to stuff that happened last year. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Pop-Culture. It is a MUST HAVE!

Average customer rating:

Unnecessarily Derogatory Portrayal

Marilyn on Location
Bart Mills
Manufacturer: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books | Actors & Actresses | Artists, Architects & Photographers | Authors | Composers & Musicians | Dancers | Entertainers | Movie Directors | New Age | Television Performers | Theatre
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0283997664

Book Description

In all that has been written about Marilyn Monroe since her death, her skill as an actress and comedienne has attracted far less attention than her personal life. Marilyn on Location is a celebration of the work of the young model called Norma Jean who, through a combination of beauty, talent and sheer determination, became one of Hollywood's most sought after stars. Bart Mills charts her career, film by film, from early B movies in which she had walk-on parts, to classics like The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot. He discusses her ambitions and insecurities which were often the cause of her unreasonable behavior on the set and he draws on interviews with her directors and co-stars who talk about their working relationships with Marilyn. Lavishly illustrated with stills from all her films, Marilyn on Location is a comprehensive and thoughtful assessment of her films, which shows just why Marilyn remains Hollywood's most enduring legend. Large format (8 1/4 x 11 1/2)

Customer Reviews:

Unnecessarily Derogatory Portrayal.......2006-10-19

Having read this book with its encouraging and easy-going title I was shocked to discover the whole point of the book was to display Monroe in the most negative light imagineable. The writer took every opportunity to describe her badly and to insinuate how difficult she was on each and every set.

Yet the book is sold as a celebration of her body of work! Unbelievable, as I could barely find a kind sentence once the cover was opened.

For example the writer could not resist in describing Marilyn's scene in Love Happy: "Marilyn wobbles onscreen near the end of the movie". This is one of the least offensive sentences in the book.

Well, Marilyn can't do anything right according to this writer. I just don't know why he bothered.

The only positive is that there is a load of inside information in this book, but it is so one-eyed it cannot possibly be correct. Who paid this man to be so cruel, I wonder if she turned him down once?

He begrudgingly admits that Marilyn may have been ahead of her time in the last chapter and that the imagery/photographs she created have become important, but he credits her with nothing, he doesn't acknowlege her efforts, her hard work in creating a phenomena out of a reasonably attractive young brunette. In ignoring all this he undermines totally, his own creditibility.

1987 guide to the cemeteries of Delaware County, Ohio: Including location maps, and a listing of burials of service men through WWI in Delaware County cemeteries

Average customer rating:

1987 guide to the cemeteries of Delaware County, Ohio: Including location maps, and a listing of burials of service men through WWI in Delaware County cemeteries
Marilyn M Cryder
Manufacturer: Published for the Delaware County Chapter, O.G.S., and the Delaware County Historical Society [by] Marilyn M. and George R. Cryder
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books

Location, location, location: Geographic spending issues and Medicare policy (Health policy briefs)

Average customer rating:

Location, location, location: Geographic spending issues and Medicare policy (Health policy briefs)
Marilyn Moon
Manufacturer: The Urban Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Medicaid & Medicare | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006S3MWY

Average customer rating:

understanding the techno-dialogic

Comprehensive, Readable, Enlightening, Important

Swinging the Machine: Modernity, Technology, and African American Culture between the World Wars
Joel Dinerstein
Manufacturer: University of Massachusetts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Staging Race: Black Performers in Turn of the Century America

Uptown Conversation: The New Jazz Studies

Cultural Front: The Laboring of American Culture in the Twentieth Century (The Haymarket Series)

ASIN: 1558493832

Book Description

In any age and any given society, cultural practices reflect the material circumstances of people's everyday lives. According to Joel Dinerstein, it was no different in America between the two World Wars—an era sometimes known as the "machine age"—when innovative forms of music and dance helped a newly urbanized population cope with the increased mechanization of modern life. Grand spectacles such as the Ziegfield Follies and the movies of Busby Berkeley captured the American ethos of mass production, with chorus girls as the cogs of these fast, flowing pleasure vehicles.

Yet it was African American culture, Dinerstein argues, that ultimately provided the means of aesthetic adaptation to the accelerated tempo of modernity. Drawing on a legacy of engagement with and resistance to technological change, with deep roots in West African dance and music, black artists developed new cultural forms that sought to humanize machines. In "The Ballad of John Henry," the epic toast "Shine," and countless blues songs, African Americans first addressed the challenge of industrialization. Jazz musicians drew on the symbol of the train within this tradition to create a set of train-derived aural motifs and rhythms, harnessing mechanical power to cultural forms. Tap dance and the lindy hop brought machine aesthetics to the human body, while the new rhythm section of big band swing mimicked the industrial soundscape of northern cities. In Dinerstein's view, the capacity of these artistic innovations to replicate the inherent qualities of the machine—speed, power, repetition, flow, precision—helps explain both their enormous popularity and social function in American life.

Customer Reviews:

understanding the techno-dialogic.......2003-07-25

Fabulous book. Dinerstein ties together architecture, tap dancing, West African drummers, the lindy hop, John Henry and Fred Astaire in this exploration of what he calls the "techno-dialogic" embedded in big band/swing music. He argues that African American artists put the industrial rhythms of the era in popular music. In this analysis, dancing to the big band wasn't just about entertainment, it was about using one's body to keep pace with the machine. Until you've read Dinerstein and considered how dance/movement/sound contribute to cultural change, you haven't understood American modernity.

Comprehensive, Readable, Enlightening, Important.......2003-05-20

This book weaves together several important and somewhat familiar stories in a startlingly new and brilliant way. We know that music and dance exploded in powerful new forms in the 1930s. And we know the "streamlined" and "futuristic" themes of techno-optimism dominated other cultural expressions in the 1930s. And we know there was a current of "techno-anxiety" that expressed itself in everything from Chaplin films to the Frankfurt School. But Joel Dinerstein has shown that these phenomena intimately informed each other. We will never view early-20th century American culture the same way after this book. Buy it. Read it. Assign it to your students. It should win many major awards.

Average customer rating:

Good advice, but not enough real help.

Good advice, but not enough real help.

Solid Work; Practical Advice

Win at Chess: A Comprehensive Guide to Winning Chess for the Intermediate Player
Ronald H. Curry
Manufacturer: Thinkers' Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master

ASIN: 0938650645

Book Description

One of the best basic books on chess which has been plublished-3rd printing. This book is geered toward the intermediate player. An intermeditate chessplayer needs information and guidance that is reliable, practical, clear, and well-organized. The comprehensive, Master-proven principles and techniques in this book will improve your chess games and help you progress toward chess mastery.

Customer Reviews:

Good advice, but not enough real help........2003-07-28

The purpose of this book is similar to that of 'Mastering Chess' (in 21 days, by Kopec et al.) with a similar audience and similar deficiencies. I think it's best for players from 1300 to 1500 USCF, and it might be a fair review up to 1700.

First, I like the notation in this book. Basically, it's Algebraic Notation (eg Nf3), as opposed to the older Descriptive Notation (KN-B3), but Curry adds the original position when he refers to prior moves. "White just played Q/d1-b3." He uses the slash (/) when he refers to the position of a piece, and I find that helpful.

Curry's section on openings is weak. He lists the first 6-10 standard book moves for several dozen openings, but he does not describe their themes and goals (with a few exceptions). I don't see any value in this. However, he makes up for this by supplying a simple opening system for White, the "Curry Opening". It's similar to the Torre Attack and has much in common with both the Colle and London Systems. He does a much better job of describing the goals of this system than Seirawan does for the Barcza Opening in 'Winning Chess Openings'. And he includes 10 (unannotated) games to show typical play. It's a practical approach.

While his middlegame advice is hardly more than review and summary, his sections on the endgame are very useful. He explains some common endings. He demonstrates endgame tactics to watch for. And he provides four examples of typical endgames from actual games. Short but sweet. You will learn something here, but you will wish for more.

The best part of the book, and the only reason I'm recommending it at all, is the series of "Cover-Up" games. In these you cover up the moves and try to play one side of the board. In particular, I like the ones in the section on Attacking the King. In fact, I like that whole section, and I highly recommend studying the game fragments there closely.

Unfortunately, most of these "Cover-Up" games only assign points for good moves, rather than explaining bad ones or commenting on plans. There are only about half a dozen games with actual comments, so it is not a great value for the money.

The main problem with this book, as with 'Mastering Chess', is that the advice will not stick with anyone who does not already understand it. And there is a lot of it. The book is dense with wise verbiage and short on evidence. I don't think that's the way to teach.

The sections on tactics and combinations are even weaker than in Mastering Chess as the number of exercises is much smaller. And this leads to the main reason why I hesitate to recommend this book at any price: Curry puts way too much emphasis on the openings and fails to stress the importance of learning tactics. He mentions tactical study several times, but he never explains that you simply will not improve without speeding up your tactical pattern recognition. Most chapters have a few exercises at the end--too few. Curry gives the impression that you can learn chess by reading words on a page, and that's simply not so.

If you enjoy what Curry calls "Solitaire chess" (ie guessing the moves for one side of the board and being graded) but would like some explanation for the moves, I suggest you take a look at the 'How Good Is Your Chess' books (one by King, one by Barden). Those are bargain values, and I think your chess would improve measurably.

Good advice, but not enough real help........2003-07-28

The best part of the book, and the only reason I'm recommending it at all, is the series of "Cover-Up" games. In these you cover up the moves and try to play one side of the board. Unfortunately, most of these only assign points for good moves, rather than explaining bad ones or commenting on plans. There are only about half a dozen games with actual comments, so it is not a great value for the money.

Solid Work; Practical Advice.......1999-08-27

This a practical, workmanlike text that does nothing fancy or "innovative," yet I think it is likely to be of far more use to the improving player than more advanced or specialized works. The author covers all the usual suspects: tactics, strategy, repertoires, endgames, etc.... Excellent review material for the more knowledgeable and good intro for the less-experienced. After you read the fancy opening books, endgame texts, strategy guides, relax and study what you already "know."

Book Description

Updated to the newest release, AutoCAD® 2006: A Problem-Solving Approach is a comprehensive resource containing detailed explanations of AutoCAD 2006 commands that enables both basic and advanced users to take maximum advantage of Autodesk®'s newest and most primary software features. Carefully organized to progress from the rudiments of AutoCAD to the important concepts of 3D modeling and, finally, customization, this book caters to the needs of beginners, as well as industry professionals.

Customer Reviews:

Autodesk Press help files in print.......2006-04-17

Doing architecture, I now carry 6 books and my laptop, and this is not one of them. most of the info in this book is in the ACAD help system. The examples drive you to use them, but the examples are not nearly as complete as the tutorials in other books, and are not kick started by the tutorial CD found with other books.
Sooo... I end up carrying in my backpack Aubin, Goldberg and Wyatt on Architectural desktop and the ACAD reference. It is bad enough trying to wade through the application books for answers, without having to deal with this book. The computer search in ACAD is great, however requires lots of sifting where this book takes you right to the place the info is, but it is still not worth toting.

Hit the deck running.......2006-03-15

My previous use of AutoCAD was 14. I am an old timer at dabbling with AutoCAD form version 3 on. However I was stunned to find the progress made with 2006 and would not want to attempt without reading and trying the examples in this book first.

Yes all this information can be found else ware. However this book has it organized and portable. The best books are those that tell you what you already know the next best like this one force you to try the different functions. You do not need to remember them all but if you are not exposed than you won't know to look for them when you can use them.

I am not sure that this is the best learn from scratch book dispensable as engendering, architecture, etc. However would not like to tackle AutoCAD 2006 without it.

A problem solving approach is a good concept in its self as this is how many of us learn. And the book helps us break out of the original drawing board mentality. The whole idea of computer design and drawing is speed and accuracy; using this book helps to find the best approach to that speed and accuracy.

Look for such things as:
Dynamic Blocks
Dynamic input
New Tools
Palettes

Perfect learning resource.......2006-01-28

This one book is a perfect resource to learn a software like AutoCAD. Everytime we start AutoCAD, we can find something new, and this one book has the explaination of everything we find new. The examples are just perfect to teach the concept given in the theory. The 2D part is very well planned and so is the 3D part. Some chapters are available for free download also, which I am yet to check. This book is highly recommended for everyone.

1340 Page of help files.......2006-01-10

This is a big book, approximately 1,340 pages. We adopted the book for three freshman drafting classes. The 2005 book was adopted last year. This is the first year that I taught using a book written by Sham Tickoo. It was a mistake. The size of the book has discouraged most students from using it. Once the students get past the size, they noticed that most of the information in the book, both; 2005 and 2006 was out of the AutoCAD help files. I wonder how the book can be published with this similar information?

The book is very wordy and it seems that the author wants to fill pages with AutoCAD help documents. Use the AutoCAD help documents and buy a different book.

Single book to learn all of Autocad.......2005-10-03

This one book is good enough to teach you full autocad. Explaination is easy to understand and examples help to learn the program well. Rendering is very well explained with amazing examples. I was really glad to see those examples after rendering them on my screen. Overall a wonderful book.

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