Japan - Culture of Wood: Buildings, Objects, Techniques

Book Description

Japan is synonymous worldwide with traditional timber construction and the diversified use of wood in every sphere. Out of a long-enduring tradition emerge products of unrivalled refinement, craftsmanship and minimalist design. From bridges, through dwellings, sliding doors and furniture, to receptacles, tools and musical instruments, this publication presents the technique, tradition, context and production of some 30 different kinds of objects, focusing on the genesis of each. Every step from material selection through to surface finish is captured directly by noted photographer Roland Bauer in fascinating sequences, which combine with the detailed drawings to make each item's composition and production easy to grasp.

Customer Reviews:

excellent art companion.......2007-01-04

Her books are terrific for choosing colors and mixtures. This particular book is quite expensive due to out of print status. If you can find it and are using colored pencils, buy it!!

Very useful book.......2004-04-23

Wonderful book on mixing colored pencil colors. This is difficult information to find in other books. It is layed out very nicely and any colored pencil artist would find this to be very useful.

Book Description

New York City, the unique metropolis that Le Corbusier has called "a beautiful catastrophe," is a natural home to Bruce Gilden. Since 1981, Gilden has been roaming the streets of the city, capturing its characters and eccentricities with his confrontational, highly energetic style and exuberant vision. In his new opus, A Beautiful Catastrophe, Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden celebrates a trademark style with abandon, firmly ensconcing him in the pantheon of New York City street poets.

Customer Reviews:

another excellent installment, but not the best.......2006-06-14

this is a good book, no doubt by a master of the medium, but in the series of similarly sized and designed books by gilden this just isn't probably his best. see 'go' and 'coney island' for his most brilliant books.

as for his publishing and design, it has become a part of his genius. i only wish the bindings were a bit stronger, my copy split noticeably after a few readings.

American Cinematographer Magazine (August 2001, Vol. 82, No. 8)

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American Cinematographer Magazine (August 2001, Vol. 82, No. 8)

Manufacturer: ASC Holding Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BNC5JK

Product Description

This issue contains articles about the following movies: Planet of the Apes; The Score; crazy/beautiful; Rush Hour 2; A.I.; Pearl Harbor; Driven; Cats & Dogs; Little Miss Spider; and Genesis and Catastrophe.

Book Description

From the phenomenal British classic sci-fi comic series, 2000 AD, comes a classic saga from John Wagner (Star Wars: Dark Empire) and Carlos Ezquerra (Just a Pilgrim), with an all-new cover by superstar John Cassaday (Planetary, Captain America)!

When the newly promoted Judge Kraken, under the influence of the evil Sisters of Death (from the `Deadworld' dimension which was the original home of Judge Death), kidnaps Psi-Judge Agee and frees the Dark Judges, all hell breaks loose! Now Dredd, Anderson, and all the other Judges in Mega-City One must stop these extraordinary beings — before they can completely lay waste to the entire planet!

Book Description

Common characteristics amongst children with dyspraxia, Asperger Syndrome and associated conditions include difficulty with movement and specific aspects of learning. These traits have now been identified as Developmental Coordination Disorder (or DCD).

This easy-to-read booklet answers commonly asked questions about DCD and provides all the necessary information to aid parents, carers and professionals in improving their child's motor and sensory skills. The handy hints and tips demonstrate how sometimes correcting the little things can lead to big results...

Customer Reviews:

A very practical guide!.......2002-07-25

This book clearly shows Ms. Balls' knowledge and experience in this field, and unlike many other titles, is written absolutely with the parent/carer in mind. There is no jargon, just pages of common sense approaches that apply not just to children who fall within the diagnosis of DCD, but for many other children who struggle to concentrate, sit still or just take part with their peers. It should be read, not just by parents, but by all child carers who are interested in providing the best possible care for the children they work with.

Book Description

The 8th century heralded the start of a golden age in the history of the Islamic world. At this time, the Sunni Muslim 'Abbãsid Caliphate, with its capital at Baghdad, ruled virtually the entire Islamic world. Islamic military power peaked in the 9th century, but by the end of this golden age in the 11th century, the 'Abbãsid Caliphs had little political and virtually no military power. Featuring numerous photographs of artefacts and eight full colour plates by Graham Turner, David Nicolle's book examines the recruitment, organization, weaponry and uniforms of the armies of the Caliphates from 862-1098.

Customer Reviews:

Informative, but not great.......2000-07-22

This book is a little disappointing as it has a number of photos which do not seem directly relevent to the subject. Why for example are chess pieces used as examples of soldiers's uniforms as they are very stylised? Or take the clothing in Russian museum collections. The text is good like most of the work of this author which I have read and the illustrations of the many Islamic and Non-Islamic soldiers who fought for the Caliphates are well executed.

There should be more on the strategy and tactics.......2000-03-27

The book is excellent enough for an introduction to the inquiry for it is done by the leading and creative researcher on the much neglected field. Although limited by the size, not enough emphasizing was written into the strategy and tactics unique to the armies of the Islamic Caliphates. They were arguably the offseting balance that gave the Arabs serious advantage over the much heavier armored Byzantines, Persians, or even the Franks later during the crusades. A must for beginners, but not enough for the scholarly.

Book Description

Using a dialogue format, contributors to this collection of essays outline key issues in the cultural history of medieval women. Many of the essays in this volume provide compelling evidence that women in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages achieved an accomplished form of literacy, and became actively involved in literary networks of textual production and exchange. These essays also present new research on questions of the literacy and authorship of historical women. In so doing they demonstrate that medieval women, like many medieval men, did not read and write in isolation, but were surrounded and assisted by both male and female colleagues.

The issue of women's ministry is another key theme addressed in this volume. Contributors examine the conditions under which women's spiritual leadership could extend to male-designated roles and mixed audiences. Several essays also address the ways in which late medieval religious women, though hampered by severe official legislation, managed to appropriate to themselves a surprising range of supposedly forbidden ecclesiastical roles.

Voices in Dialogue challenges the historical and literary work of modern medieval scholars by questioning traditionally accepted evidence, methodologies, and conclusions. It will push those engaged in the field of medieval studies to reflect upon the manner in which they conceive, write, and teach history, as it urges them to situate historical women prominently within the intellectual and spiritual culture of the Middle Ages.

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Voices in Dialogue: Reading Women in the Middle Ages.(Book review): An article from: Theological Studies
Penny J. Cole
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
Philosophy | Nonfiction | HTML | Formats | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RZABUM
Release Date: 2007-09-27

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Theological Studies, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2007. The length of the article is 912 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: Voices in Dialogue: Reading Women in the Middle Ages.(Book review)
Author: Penny J. Cole
Publication: Theological Studies (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 68 Issue: 2 Page: 439(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Science International is the first history of a worldwide organization of scientists, now involving thousands of participants, which was started a century ago when a few visionaries founded the International Association of Academies (1899-1919). This was succeeded by an International Research Council, which, in 1932, became the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). This history describes how national academies and international unions of scientists from specific disciplines learned to work together, and shows that from these alliances sprang great cooperative projects such as the International Geophysical Year and the International Biological Programme, as well as the creation of a global scientific organization directed to the study of the entire planet and prospects for the human race.

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The Informational City. Information Technology, Economic Restructuring, and the Urban-Regional Process.(Brief Article): An article from: The Geographical Journal
Paul L. Knox
Manufacturer: Royal Geographical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00093L4LC
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Geographical Journal, published by Royal Geographical Society on March 1, 1995. The length of the article is 409 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: The Informational City. Information Technology, Economic Restructuring, and the Urban-Regional Process.(Brief Article)
Author: Paul L. Knox
Publication: The Geographical Journal (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1995
Publisher: Royal Geographical Society
Volume: v161 Issue: n1 Page: p94(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Informational City: Information Technology, Economic Restructuring, And The Urban-Regional Process

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The Informational City: Information Technology, Economic Restructuring, And The Urban-Regional Process

Manufacturer: Basil Blackwell, Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I8QSVY

Book Description

Before Batman, before all the other masked vigilantes to follow in his footsteps, the masked adventure known as Zorro meted out justice and aided the oppressed. Set in the early days of Spanish California these four volumes recapture the swashbuckling derring-do of the first masked vigilante: Zorro. Fans of westerns, high-romance and adventure will find their palates satiated with these volumes from some of today's greatest creators. Zorro: Lady Rawhide - It Can`t Happen Here - Zorro`s bustier sporting temptress flies solo as she tracks down a madman who is stalking and killing women.

Book Description

In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, responsible organizations are now even more interested in identifying their specific needs for information system security. This book provides a structured process for assisting any analyst in performing this task.

Download Description

In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, responsible organizations are now even more interested in identifying their specific needs for,information system security. This book provides a structured process for assisting any analyst in performing this task.

Book Description

This CSIS project examined American military culture--its norms, values, philosophies, and traditions--and the services' abilities to adapt to environmental stress and the demands of the twenty-first century. More than 12,000 uniformed personnel were surveyed at 32 locations in the United States, Korea, Hawaii, and Europe. Respondents were drawn from U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard units, as well as senior service and joint headquarters staff. In addition, Department of Defense surveys were reviewed. Today's service members were found to be dedicated professionals with strong traditional military values despite their being overworked and underresourced. But serious problems must be addressed: leadership inadequacies, the conflict for senior officers between loyalty to authority and the guardianship of an institution, micromanagement, and in some units a rigid zero-defects climate. The policy community must also address the insufficiency of pay and benefits, inadequate training resources, and an increasingly stressful operations tempo.

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Democracy and Organisation in the Chinese Industrial Enterprise (19481953) (Contemporary China Institute Publications)
William Brugger
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Production & Operations | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | China | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0521207908

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DEMOCRACY AND ORGANISATION IN THE CHINESE INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE 1948-1953
BRUGGER
Manufacturer: CAMBRIDGE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S6LOGA

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Democracy & Organisation in the Chinese Industrial Enterprise (1948-1953)
William Brugger
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VZSZA6

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First rate, fascinating, and engaging natural history book on neotropical birds

Essential for the curious tropical naturalist

Recommended for tropical birders

Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher's Introduction to Behavior, Breeding, and Diversity (Mildred Wyatt-Wold Series in Ornithology)
Steven Hilty
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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A Neotropical Companion

Tropical Nature: Life & Death in the Rain Forests of Central & South America

Chasing Neotropical Birds (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)

Birds of Ecuador Field Guide

Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide

ASIN: 0292706731

Book Description

" Birds of Tropical America offers a comprehensive look into the lives of some of the most fascinating birds in the world. The book will entertain and educate the amateur birder and professional ornithologist alike and would be a valuable addition to libraries at home and university."

— Condor

"Hilty, who has led birding expeditions to Central and South America and the Caribbean, supplies not a field guide to species identification but rather a natural history of tropical birds. He writes about tropical diversity, nesting habits, the structure of a rain forest bird community, biogeography, Andean genealogy, bird migration within the tropics, bird color and patterns, seed dispersal, foraging techniques, courtship rituals, and song patterns. This is a fascinating book for enthusiastic birders and stay-at-home naturalists alike."

— Booklist

"[Hilty] deals with such fascinating topics as why there are so many species in tropical America, why antbirds don't eat ants, why there are so many flycatchers, why tropical birds are so colorful (or not), how hummingbirds survive and even prosper in the Andes, and what makes manakins and cotingas do their curious songs and dances. He writes with knowledge, grace, and humor....After [Alexander] Skutch, Hilty is the finest synthesizer and popularizer of the life of Neotropical birds."

— Birding

Birds of Tropical America was published by Chapters Publishing in 1994 and went out of print in 1997. UT Press is pleased to reissue it with a new epilogue and updated references.

Customer Reviews:

First rate, fascinating, and engaging natural history book on neotropical birds.......2007-04-16

One might guess by the title of Steven Hilty's book _Birds of Tropical America_ that he has written an informative though dry field guide, one that lists a number of birds of Central and South America but is not really a book to sit down and read. In fact, Hilty has written an engaging and extremely interesting natural history work covering many aspects of neotropical bird behavior, breeding, and evolution and is one of the finest popular science books I have read in a while.

The book is organized into twenty different chapters, several illustrated with black and white drawings by artist Mimi Hoppe Wolf, and includes an extensive bibliography. Roughly half of the chapters deal with aspects of neotropical avian behavior and physiology that are applicable to most if not all of the region's birds, while the remainder deals with specific types of birds, such as antbirds, hummingbirds, and vultures. The focus is largely on birds of rainforests but Hilty also discusses birds of mountains, grasslands, and in one interesting chapter, islands of the Amazon River.

The first few chapters tackle common questions asked about tropical American birds, questions Hilty has encountered over his years as not only a researcher but as a leader of birding tours in Central and South America. For instance, why are so many tropical rainforest birds so spottily distributed when there appears to be many hundreds of square miles of suitable habitat? Hitly wrote that distribution patchiness is a basic structural component of tropical rainforests; in an area that might contain up to 500 bird species, a particular acre or so of forest will only contain 100 to 200 species. One answer to this question is the existence of microhabitats, areas perhaps not obvious to naturalists recently arrived from temperate latitudes, but quite obvious to the local fauna. Some birds are found only along the edges of tree fall openings, while others that live in the canopy avoid areas where the canopy is discontinuous with tree fall openings. Birds might be rare because of their place on the food chain (harpy eagles occur generally at low densities though might be widespread throughout neotropical rainforests), of the lower population densities of tropical birds (the populations of the most common Peruvian rainforests birds are one-tenth that of those in temperate forests), the secretive nature of many understory rainforest birds (making them appear rare), and the large territories of birds (when compared to temperate species). A later chapter adds additional information; Hilty noted the work of Jurgen Haffer, who proposed that during the Pleistocene epoch the rainforests of South America at times contracted into isolated units he called refugia and that this repeated forest breakup increased speciation and helped produce many often small and localized ranges of birds in South America. Another theory, proposed by among others biologist Angelo Capparella, noted the importance of the major rivers of the Amazon Basin, which fragment the ranges of many widespread species and can act as barriers to gene flow; in a later chapter, Hilty noted how big a barrier the river can be, at one spot in Colombia, nearly 2,000 miles from the mouth of the Amazon River, the river banks are nearly five miles apart, a huge barrier to many tropical species that scarcely like crossing even forest trails.

Interestingly, many tropical birds migrate. No, not the famous temperate-to-tropics-and-back-again migrations, but migrations within the tropics, often quiet migrations that only involve some species and an aspect of the neotropics that took researchers many years to discover. These are short-distance migrations, perhaps a few miles or a few hundred miles. The quetzal and the bellbird for instance are fruit-eaters that breed in mountain cloud forests during the drier months of the year, but migrate downslope during the rainy season in search of drier conditions and more fruit. Even lowland forest species migrate to seek concentrations of fruiting trees, while others migrate to take advantage of the short-lived and unpredictable seed crops of bamboo, or in areas south of the Amazon Basin, are fire-followers, seeking out recently burned grasslands for breeding.

In a chapter on why there are so many more species in the tropics than in temperate areas Hilty noted the many niches unique to the tropics, for example antbirds, follow the swarms of raiding army ants, which flush small prey for them to eat, while other birds follow monkeys or the large peccary herds for the same reason (the latter of which are followed by the nimble, roadrunner-like ground-cuckoos).

Hilty discussed hummingbirds in two chapters, noting not only the many different hummingbird niches (some are nectar thieves, poking holes on the outside of flowers to get nectar, not aiding the plant in pollination one bit, others are territorial, while still others forage over large areas) but that they even have different niches at different altitudes (wing length and body weight have a huge influence in the type of flight and behavior a hummingbird is capable of and as higher altitudes have less dense air and produce less lift, some species have different ecological niches at different altitudes).

A number of chapters focused or dealt with breeding behavior. One interesting discussion analyzed why males might cluster together in lek assemblages when they are so extremely competitive. The "hotspot" theory of Jack Bradbury argued that leks form in areas where females forage widely for food and the males have a good opportunity to catch the attention of these wide-ranging females, while the "hotshot" theory of Bruce Beeler and Mercedes Foster argues that the success of a few dominant males attracts the attention of less successful males, who bide their time and try to move up the hierarchy.

Other interesting topics include the flycatchers (part of a group of birds called suboscines) which have been among the few animal groups to colonize northwards with the appearance of the Panamanian landbridge and the influence of environment on song (different terrains affect song propagation in different ways).

Essential for the curious tropical naturalist.......2005-12-05

Steve Hilty does a wonderful job of translating the results of published scientific papers into the language of the curious layman without compromising the fidelity of the original research. With a strong academic background, coupled with many years of field experience and a formidable talent for communication, he successfully transmits the joy of the natural historian and the excitement of the pioneering ornithologist.

The book consists of twenty essays on the ecology, behavioural ecology, biogeography and evolution of Neotropical birds, each based on three or four seminal scientific papers. The topics covered include flocking behaviour, species diversity, intra-tropical migration, seasonality, song, hummingbird foraging ecology, seed dispersal and much more. Many of the topics arose as answers to the questions posed to the author by fellow travellers, so they address a host of the main questions the curious naturalist will ask. The examples and original research come from all parts of the New World tropics making this book of direct relevance to those travelling anywhere in Latin America. Specific sites mentioned range from La Selva in northeastern Costa Rica to Manu in Amazonian Peru, and from Panama's Barro Colorado Island to the Oilbird Cave in eastern Venezuela. Species like the Yellow-rumped Cacique and Oilbird and key Neotropical groups like the Vultures, Hummingbirds, Antbirds, Tyrant Flycatchers, Manakins and Cotingas are treated in detail.

In sum, a great introduction to the biology and natural history of American tropical birds for those who are new to the region and a fascinating companion for tropical veterans. Whether your interest is birding, natural history or simply enriching your tropical travels, this book should be on your shelves - or, better still, in your backpack.

Recommended for tropical birders.......2001-02-21

It is a shame that this book is out of print, because as more birders discover the wealth and happy confusion of birding in the tropics this book would find a ready audience. Birders who take their first trips to Central or South America step into an alien world, where the rules of the temperate zone do not apply.

Hilty's essays draw upon many years as a birding tour guide, kind of a "frequently asked questions" collection. He discusses answers to questions such as: Why do birds in the tropics migrate? Why are tropical birds often so colorful yet so hard to see? Why are tropical mixed flocks so large and varied (up to 50 or more species in a single foraging flock), and how can so many birds forage together? In the course of the essays, Hilty also provides a great deal of insight into tropical ecology. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the tropics in general, and tropical birding in particular.

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Birds Of Tropical America - A Watcher's Introduction To Behavior, Breeding And Diversity - The Curious Naturalist
Steven; Illustrations by Wolf, Mimi Hoppe Hilty
Manufacturer: Chapters Publ. Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JZMLJ4

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Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher's Introduction to Behavior, Breeding & Diversity
Steven Hilty
Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0788192809

Product Description

Why are tropical birds like parrots & quetzels so much more colorful than birds of temperate lands? How can a vulture soaring thousands of feet above the canopy spot a dead rodent no bigger than a mouse on the rainforest floor? What permits sparrow-sized antbirds to thrive among hordes of army ants that devour every other living thing in their path? Hilty has led birding tours to the American Tropics for over 20 years. By providing answers to the hundreds of questions asked by participants of these expeditions, he has produced a natural history of the bird life of the New World Tropics that is as practical, accurate & fascinating as the species it reveals.

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