The Art and Architecture of Japan: Third Edition (The Yale University Press Pelican Histor)

Customer Reviews:

The Art and Architecture of Japan: Third Edition.......2006-11-20

Book was in the condition it stated. Prompt delivery. I will use this seller again.

Authoritative, scholarly work on a focused subject........1998-10-16

I purchased this book in my never ending pursuit of sholarly discourse on Japanese Buddhist sculpture. It is one thing to study sculpture and painting. It is quite another to understand it in the context of history and the architecture that housed it. Enlightening, to say the least, and meaningful reading. Its coverage of Buddhism and Buddhist art in Japan is noteworthy.

Book Description

At the heart of this book is an emphasis on helping children to learn about themselves, their world and their relationships, through drawing. It also shows how teachers can use drawing as an in road into art, language, literacy, and other aspects of the curriculum; how children can improve their writing through drawing, concentrating on draftsmanship, the lines of letters, words and sentences; and how children can improve the quality of their drawing; with four basic rules that have been proven to raise standards throughout school.

Based on case studies of children from six to eleven years of age, this passionately written book draws inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbooks and from Nigerian art to show how children can learn more effectively through the medium of drawing.

Book Description

Preventing Unemployment in Europe is an interdisciplinary volume offering an effective and authoritative contribution to the ongoing debate concerning the utility of preventive labor market policies. Positive labor market performance is discussed from a European perspective and analyzed against the background of transferability in an era of increasing globalization of markets. Concentrating particularly on the role of corporatist and market processes, the book focuses on the effects of preventive unemployment through the comparison of innovative and flexible policy solutions.

Some of the fundamental issues the book tackles include the extent to which the conditional framework for preventive labor market policy is undergoing change, the response mechanisms to these changes which characterize national strategies and the learning processes which can be triggered through the exchange of national experiences within the EU. The discussions within the book benefit from both an economic analysis of the subject matter complemented by a broader social science approach.

The editors, themselves distinguished scholars in this field, have produced a comprehensive resource which should prove invaluable reading for both policymakers and academics in the fields of labor market theory and policy.

Book Description

A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, demolishes the widely held view that the phrase "medieval business" is an oxymoron. The authors review the entire range of business in medieval western Europe, probing its Roman and Christian heritage to discover the economic and political forces that shaped the organization of agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining, transportation, and marketing. Then they deal with the responses of businessmen to the devastating plagues, famines, and warfare that beset Europe in the late Middle Ages. Medieval businessmen's remarkable success in coping with this hostile new environment prepared the way for the economic expansion of the sixteenth century.

Book Description

Avid readers are fluent readers: they absorb information more easily, they write better, they perform better on standardized tests.

In Keeping Kids Reading, Mary Leonhardt shows parents how to instill a love of reading in their children and how to nurture that love, in spite of the temptations of television, video games, and computers. Based on observation and interviews with students and more than twenty-five years in the classroom, Leonhardt has formulated an innovative new concept called "reading pathways" that facilitates parents' understanding of their children's taste in books. Once you recognize your children's reading patterns, you'll find it easy, using Leonardt's methods, to appeal to their individual tastes and help move them along the path to a lifelong love of reading.

Customer Reviews:

Expanding on her previous message.......2006-06-26

This is Leonhardt's second book, published three years after Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't: How It Happens and What You Can Do About It (see my review). In it she again shares her experience as a parent and an educator and breaks some new ground from the previous volume. As early as page 19 she flatly states, "Children must love reading. This goal is absolute. No one--teachers, parents, librarians, curriculum directors, book reviewers--must do or recommend anything that puts [it] in jeopardy...[A]ll of the skill exercises that children dislike--but are 'good' for them--are not allowed if they cause a child to dislike reading." She later adds that, as a parent, you shouldn't "try to force [your child] to read [a specific book] or argue her out of her dislike of [it]." From a teacher, this is, of course, a radical stand: doubtless all of us can remember plowing through some such title as "A Tale of Two Cities," or picking Shakespeare to pieces, because they were "required reading" (even some of the librarians I know, who have somehow managed to retain their love of books despite such experiences, recount them with bitterness). Leonhardt explains that in the high-school classes she teaches, any kid can get an A for his weekly reading if he reads 200 or more pages *of a book or books chosen by himself*. She also tells how all the young avid readers she has interviewed either grew up in homes filled with books, or lived within biking (or walking) distance of a library. (Having done both myself, I can testify that they are indispensable--although once a kid is 10 or 12, I would add that bussing distance, or perhaps nearness to the child's school, is also permissible.) And, as if picking up on my previous review, she declares that "Turning kids off...by insisting on too much analysis and criticism is winning a battle only to lose the war...[Many kids are] turned off by English teachers who insist that they analyze difficult poems they don't even like..." She points out, too, that reading often leads to writing, which, since most teens are reluctant to talk to their parents about their troubles (or just can't find the words to express their feelings), may help your kids to stay out of trouble as they enter "the angst-filled teen years. You want them home writing poetry and stories when they're troubled--not looking for the nearest drug dealer." Most important, she describes four basic "reading paths" and explains how to use them to find books that kids--at any age and reading level--can enjoy, books that will make them want to read not only the current title but more books, and eventually adult-level and even "difficult" or "classic" books. While many books about kids' or teens' lit break books into broad categories, such as animal stories, adventure, or nonfiction, this is the first time I've seen anyone try to separate those categories according to the type of kid who may be attracted to them.

As might be expected of a teacher, Leonhardt unfortunately shares the unhealthy fixation we have about college in the US; she describes how, on a visit to Ireland, she told young people there that to get a "good job" here, you have to attend college--which severely disappointed her listeners, who wanted to know about jobs for "ordinary lads like us." (It's true, of course, that we're moving rapidly away from an industrial economy, but there are still plenty of useful, good-paying jobs that can be learned through apprenticeship (like welding or construction) or at community colleges (which continue to prosper).) But the chief problem I have with her is that, for the most part, she tends to ignore a great many fine old books--in all possible paths--in favor of books that are current, recent, or in print, even as she praises libraries for offering the books that aren't. She says, for example, that "...most multicultural literature pushed in the schools is boring even to the group it showcases." Yet I can remember reading many fascinating books about what was then called "children of other lands," books like Robert Davis's Pepperfoot of Thursday market,or Louise Rankin's Daughter of the Mountains (Newbery Library, Puffin)--many of which are now OP, and which had the great merit of (because of their age) not being "dumbed down" as so many more recent titles are. One of her recommendations is to "keep trying poetry," particularly for elementary-schoolers, yet she doesn't suggest themed poetry anthologies like the many assembled by William Cole or the Brewtons. In describing Path #4, "Action/Adventure Reading With Realistic Elements," she laments that readers of this type (almost always boys) find a paucity of books, especially fiction, about sports or military subjects in libraries; for example, she suggests only Matt Christopher, without seeming to realize that he can lead to, say, Lester Chadwick's Baseball Joe series (a Stratemeyer Syndicate offering to be sure, but so are Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, both of which she praises as the kind of books that can ignite a child's love of reading) or Clair Bee's Chip Hilton or John R. Tunis's long string of sports novels. She also totally ignores the girls (often tomboys, if not necessarily sports freaks) who may be of this type (and having been one, I can say without fear of contradiction that they do exist--and they enjoy "boys' books" too). And she doesn't even mention such excellent (and prolific) authors for older readers (boys and girls alike) as Stephen W. Meader and G. A. Henty, both of whom are currently being brought back into print by specialty publishers, or Joseph A. Altsheler (all of them adventure tales focusing on "realistic," as opposed to magical or relationship-oriented, action). It has long seemed to me that if we want our kids to read "good books," we have to make *all* books available to them, and in that Leonhardt and I agree; but so many libraries subscribe to ruthless age-based weeding policies, and so many publishers are so totally focused on the bottom line, that our youngsters grow up completely unaware of the treasure trove of well-written and interesting older titles that we baby-boomers knew and loved. I hope that in a future volume Leonhardt may begin to relate these authors to her "fourfold path." The fact that she hasn't in this one is the reason I give it only a four-star rating: she's definitely on the right track as far as she goes, but she hasn't yet gone quite far enough.

A must read for all parents!.......2005-12-03

Notwithstanding the fact that I read probably at least 300 books a year, I have never reviewed a book on amazon.com before. But "Keeping Kids Reading" is so inspirational and helpful that I decided to share my enthusiasm. Ms. Leonhardt, a veteran English teacher, clearly explains how to ensure your kids become lifelong, passionate readers. Since the day my kids were born, this has been a goal of mine. When my kids were quite young, I read aloud to them constantly. (If you haven't read Jim Trelease's "The Read-Aloud Handbook," it's also excellent). But once my guys reached elementary school and started to read independently, I felt a bit lost. Sure, I still read aloud nightly, but have been feeling I could / should be doing more, but wasn't sure what. Ms. Leonhardt's delightful and compelling book has provided the missing link for me. I now have a whole toolkit of practical ideas to ensure that my kids become avid readers. Her book reassures me that I've done many things right and has given me plenty of ideas to ensure my boys' continued reading success. Thank you, Ms. Leonhardt, for making the wisdom you've gleaned in 28 years of teaching in the classroom available to all parents. This book is going to all of my mom friends for Christmas this year!

Outstanding book-I've read it 3 times so far.......2005-06-16

Having just finished this book for the third time, I figured it was time to give the author kudos for this wonderful book. My husband and I are lifelong avid readers and it is very important to us to share our love of reading with our children. This book has given me so much help in choosing books for my children by helping me to identify their reading "paths". For a while, I kept offering the wrong books to the kids, and I was baffled by their disinterest. Now that I understand their preferences better thanks to this book, I am so much more successful at offering books that they will like. It really works! My boys read all the time; I'd estimate at least 3 hours a day of books they choose.

Over and over, this author repeats the message to trust your children. That can be so hard to do, which is why I've needed to reread the book several times. But it works! I've watched the children move from easy readers to longer books to Tolkein, and I've known that they're doing it in their own time. If I start worrying that they've been reading "below their level" or conversely that they may be choosing books that are too hard, I remember the goals of making them love reading, and have a habit of reading, and I realize they are on the right track.

I rarely take the time to review books that I read, but I feel strongly enough in favor of this one to chime in with BIG thumbs-up.

Full of extremely practical advice on raising a reader.......2000-05-15

If you love reading the way I do, there is very little more important to you than raising children who love to read. I thought this book was wonderful. The author is obviously passionate about getting kids hooked on reading, and believes that you should do just about anything to acheive this goal. She points out how many parents that don't hesitate to spend tons of money on toys and clothes balk at buying kids books, and points out how books can be found at lawn sales and book sales by the ton for very cheap, and how money spent on books is an investment of the best kind. She advocates letting kids read what they enjoy reading, and letting that lead to reading you find more worthwhile, but wants us to keep in mind that just getting them to READ is the goal. Her kids loved Richie Rich comics (as did I as a kid!) I love her writing style---it's very honest and direct. A great book!

Customer Reviews:

Best non-fiction work to come out of the Civil War.......1999-05-12

Several years ago I urged John Seelye to edit this work for Penguin. A couple of years after that, he asked me to do it instead, and I did. This is a remarkable book about a literate Yankee (Higginson "discovered" the poet Emily Dickinson) who "discovers" the South. It's also "about" Black soldiers in a white war, white officers in a Black regiment, self-discovery, rivers, and hope. Much of the imagery and characterization in the movie GLORY seems to have been lifted from this book: it is, after all, a first-hand narrative of war by an idealist sorely tested by politics and physical hardship. Higginson's writing of the book is in part his attempt to deal with what today we would call Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder, and it is no wonder that the tone sometimes reminds the reader of Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River." Because the teller of this story emerges as an interesting person per se, this edition includes some of his other essays, ranging from his fascination with slave rebellion to his appreciation for poetry.

Army Life in a Black Regiment: And Other Writings

Average customer rating:

Army Life in a Black Regiment: And Other Writings
Thomas Wentworth / Madison, R. D. (INT) Higginson
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJFU7K

Book Description

A handy pocket-sized book that makes for the perfect outdoor companion. You'll find you can determine quickly and easily just what is making those tracks in the snow or mud of your backyard or when out in the woods. The book includes detailed drawings of the animals themselves, their front and back prints and strike patterns and concise descriptions. A perfect guide for teachers, parents, hikers and urban explorers.

Average customer rating:

Animal Tracks of Western Canada

Manufacturer: Lone Pine Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GRQ3NA

Customer Reviews:

I enjoyed this thoughtful book........2007-06-23

Reflections of this Catholic sister, as she walks the Camino with the semi retired priest of her parish.

This journey of two people of faith met with all the challenges the Camino can offer. Joyce started out as what I call an overachiever, and Tom as a steadying influence.

A couple concepts stuck in my brain from chapters of this book. Enjoy existential friendships. Return a positive for a negative. Negative things do happen, but Joyce would make a determined effort to see the positive - a concept I accept, but sometimes have difficulty applying.

I enjoyed this thoughtful book.

great book, talked me out of it..........2007-06-02

this book was great, talked me out of going, realize that all that heat and dirt was not for me, will go trekking in nepal instead, much cooler temps, author did this to add to her spiritual credentials,alll about herself and her inner thoughts, suspect she had not been out of the USA before.

cheers

Walk in a Relaxed Manner.......2006-08-09

This is an amazing book about an amazing experience--walking across Spain--and well after midlife. We share the hardships and blessings of this journey and are able to walk, talk and think in a relaxed manner while reading it. There are lessons subtly given that everyone can shsare.

A Pilgrimage Of Body and Spirit.......2005-12-30

Back in the summer of 2003, I visited a former seminary roommate in Leon, Spain. I showed up a couple of days before his wedding after backpacking through Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Madrid. While strolling together through Leon, my Spanish friend remarked that people thought I was a "Pilgrim" because of my clothing and backpack. I asked him to clarify, and he replied that Leon was on the path of the Camino Pilgrimage. Thus began my interest in the topic.

"Walk in a Relaxed Manner" was the first book I read about the Camino. It's newly published, written by a 60-year-old nun who walked the Pilgrimage around the time I was in Leon. She hit the trail with a retired priest, and this book was born from that experience. The subtitle and theme is "Life Lessons From the Camino," and each chapter is based on a way she grew due to the Pilgrimage. For example, the book's title is shared with a chapter where Sr. Rupp describes how she learned to walk slowly and thoughtfully instead of quickly and competitively. Other chapter titles include "Savor Solitude," "Deal with Disappointments," and "Live in the Now." Such topics may strike some as trite. But I found it impressive that more often than not, it was the walk's difficulties that enabled her to internalize these truths.

The author writes in a clear and readable manner. She rejoices in the high points of the Pilgrimage, and is honest about the lows as well. Each lesson is presented in a thoughtful manner, and all are applicable to everyday life. However, like many spiritual insights perhaps some sort of defining experience is required to truly own them. But reading about these truths may be a way to prepare the heart for their eventual actualization. Although a Catholic nun in the Servite Community, Sr. Rupp keeps things fairly ecumenical throughout her tale. In addition, practical advice about the Pilgrimage is sprinkled throughout the book, and a list of helpful Camino resources is included at the end. There's even an authorized website based on Joyce Rupp's name if you want more info about her.

Someday I'd like to do the El Camino Pilgrimage. I hope I don't have to wait until my sixties, but sometimes you have to let things happen in their time. If I do walk it, I'll be glad if I learn and grow half as much as Sr. Rupp did. Recommended for all travelers and pilgrims.

UPDATE 9/7/07: Well, I only had to wait until I was forty to do the Camino. On 7/14/07 I stepped off in St. Jean Pied-de-Port (France), and on 8/24/07 I walked into Santiago, Spain. After returning home to the US, I went through this book again. It was nice reading about familiar places on the Way, and also to identify with the lessons Ms. Rupp writes about. Recommended even more now that I've actually done the trek.

Down-to-Earth and Deeply Spiritual.......2005-11-16

As she approached her 60th birthday, spiritual writer and retreat leader Joyce Rupp abandoned her plan to hole up for a six-month sabbatical by the ocean to bask in solitude. Instead, she embarked on a 37-day walking trek across Spain with her friend Tom Pfeffer. The two prepared and trained for a year before making the historical pilgrimage from Roncesvilles on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees to the Cathedral of St. James in the city of Santiago, a journey commonly referred to as "the Camino."

Walking in the "relaxed manner" in the title was one of the first lessons these two self-described productive-oriented people learned. At first, Rupp explains, they believed their goal was to reach Santiago, but they eventually discovered that the walk itself imparted spiritual empowerment. Rupp goes into some detail about her competitive nature as their self-prescribed 12 miles was surpassed regularly by other "pilgrims." For the first few days, the two succumbed to their natural tendency to rush, rush, rush, and push, push, push. In the end, they agreed to take the advice of a friend who had walked the Camino earlier: "drink more water and walk in a relaxed manner."

Rupp laces the story with such insights, always connecting the events and experiences with "routine" life and sharing the positive effects the journey had on her. Her chapter on realizing "a tiny bit" what it is like to be homeless is especially thought-provoking. Following a transaction at a bank, Rupp was convinced the clerk thought, "This smelly pilgrim with her dirty hiking boots dug into this pack of weird things and, whew, the odor that came from that bag, it was enough to gag me..." The homelessness image also came up when she found herself in settings for which she was not "appropriately dressed" and other situations where she was "pierced" by disdainful looks and rejection.

Like Rupp's other books, Walk in a Relaxed Manner is filled with down-to-earth stories and deeply spiritual reflections.

Amazon.com

Messrs. Ballenger and Lane, each coming from the non-fiction and fiction sides of the fence, respectively, take the Biblical "40 day" timeframe and slap a step-by- step program upon it, filled with exercises and techniques designed to make your "inner writer" face light of day, embrace confusion, develop an eye as well as an ear, and finally, face the ultimate test: writing regularly, even when you don't feel like it.

Customer Reviews:

40 Days to Become a Writer.......2004-03-25

"Discovering the Writer Within" is like having a classroom in your backpack. It's organized by days, and each day starts with an exercise. This is followed by a section that briefly asks you questions about what you wrote. Following this comes a longer bit in which one of the two authors (Bruce Ballenger or Barry Lane--they initial these passages) discusses the exercise and its related principles at length.

Often the author will take the opportunity to share his own exercise results, complete with commentary on what works and what doesn't, why, and what the author got out of the exercise.

This book is primarily designed for those people who don't really call themselves writers yet. It's for people who aren't sure of what they're doing or how to go about getting started. If you haven't written professionally yet, if you still sit around wondering what you should do when confronted with a blank page, this could be the perfect book for you.

One of the better aspects of this book is the very personal voice it's written in. Usually co-authored books are written in a neutral voice in order to avoid noticeable differences between each author's work; in this case each author is allowed to retain his voice. Sometimes one or the other will even discuss his reactions to one of the other author's exercises. This very personal viewpoint is often exactly what's needed to convey the real lessons Ballenger and Lane are trying to teach. It also makes the material more interesting, and gives you the feeling that you really are sitting in a small classroom with an interesting and enthusiastic teacher.

Ballenger and Lane are teachers as well as writers, and it shows--in a good way. They neither kill your enthusiasm with criticism nor promise that evaluation and revision don't matter. They use their own experiences to show the ups and downs of being a writer, and the lessons to be learned therein.

To be honest, I really couldn't find any problem with this book. The only remotely negative thing I can think of is the fact that most of this book will be old hat to experienced writers--but then, it isn't aimed at experienced writers.

Great Starting Point For Ending Writer's Block.......2001-01-17

This book allowed me to silence the internal critic in me that kept telling me that my feelings don't matter, aren't interesting, and probably aren't spelled right. :)

Overall, this book allows one to be freed from tyrannous writing rules. There are forty exercises in the book that guide you in essential techniques such as brainstorming, clustering, freewriting, and revision. This book allows one to open up their creative wellspring to pour forth a gusher of new ideas and possibilities.

Perfect starting point for beginner writers........1998-05-13

Fantastic book for the person who can hear the writer inside them saying, "write something, write something..." but need a place to begin. I was in a writer's block when I picked up the book, lost from not having something assigned to me from a teacher or writing class. Once I started, I couldn't stop coming up with ideas. I have shared the book with friends who have always wanted to write and weren't sure they could, and now we discuss results over the phone. A really enjoyable book!

Book Description

This collection of vintage images spans 50 years of fashion history — from the mid-19th century to 1900. Includes cuts of high-topped footwear, elegant hats and parasols, fans, shawls, jewelry, and much more. Perfect for use in catalogs, brochures, newsletters, and other print and craft projects. 683 black-and-white illustrations.

Book Description

The author of this enlightening and entertaining book for dog owners grants that "The way we treat dogs changes with the times, varies from one culture to the next, and even one neighbor to the next." In the past, dogs were valued by humans as workers, hunters, and guard animals. Today, the majority of dogs are kept as pets, and are sometimes treated like children by well-meaning owners who fail to understand the qualities that make dogs unique. Some owners neglect or abuse their dogs, while others coddle their pets in ways that mirror human society's own lapses into obesity and lack of exercise. Here is advice from a canine expert on how to strike that happy medium: how to treat a dog humanely, provide for all its physical and emotional needs, but never mistake your pooch for a fellow human being. Here too are fascinating facts about how dogs originally diverged from wolves on the evolutionary chain, as well as explanations of the specific traits and instincts that make dogs different, not only from humans, but from all other animals. In total, here are insights that will enable owners to understand and value canines for the wonderful friends and companions that they are. The text is complemented with cartoon-style line illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended for "first time" dog owners.......2006-02-07

You're about to introduce a new puppy into your home: and now is also the best time to understand dog psychology and needs. No better guide to dog psychology is available than D. Caroline Coile's Congratulations! It's A Dog! Training And Behavior Tips For The Newest Member Of Your Family. From how to identify with a dog and communicate to understanding dog habits and non-verbal messages, chapters survey mixed messages and how human/dog communications can be improved from Day One. Congratulations! It's a Dog! is especially recommended for "first time" dog owners.

Customer Reviews:

My Vegetable-Gardening Grandmother Was Right!.......2007-05-27

A college professor, teaching agriculture, remembered that word in their valley where he had been a farm child was, the farmer with the most weather traditions was also the most successful. He therefore was interviewing old growers to document weather and plant folk sayings before they were lost. Because many of them were true, they were just rhymed, or tied to a particular holiday as a memory device. Ms Ryrie discusses them along with other garden lore. A treasure!

Good for beginners.......2001-06-22

Combines scientific fact with age-old wisdom, to give garden enthusiasts all round coverage on many aspects of gardening. It talks about the indoor as well as the outdoor garden, with practical tips on seeds, potting, soil composition, fertilizers, weeds and even details on insects and small animals you may encounter. There's also a section on flower arranging, your tools, growing and preparing your own herbs, and how to take care of yourself to avoid strain. Lots of snippets of information on all kinds of topics, with colorful illustrations and photographs.

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