Microfungi on Miscellaneous Substrates: An Identification Handbook

Customer Reviews:

Don't visit Venice without this book!.......1998-08-28

Venice is the perfect city for walking tours, with a myriad of twisting streets and alleys. This guide provides a series of great walking tours, allowing you to wander at your own pace accompanied by a "paper tour guide". Skip tour packages or local guides, and head out on your own with this guide in hand. My wife and I spent two days in Venice on our own, and basically followed almost every tour in the book. We spoke no Italian, had never been to Venice before, and yet we found our way around the city and discovered quaint squares and tiny cathedrals that most visitors never find. If you like to learn about a city as you explore, but hate following some tour guide leading a herd of fellow travelers, get this book and head out on your own.

An invaluable guide.......1998-06-24

I found Frommer's walking tours of Paris invaluable, and the same proved to be true for this Venice book. I was there for eight days, and followed one of these walking tours every day. There was a superb sense of ambling around, seeing Venice in its everyday aspect, usually away from crowds of tourists. The book provided a focus for my walks, eliminating the feeling of wandering around and not knowing exactly where to go, and for me there were many wonderful moments -- lingering by canals, coming upon cats sunning themselves on unbusy walkways, seeing the whole of Venice from the top of the bell tower of San Giorgio. The point became not seeing the sights but soaking up the atmosphere. Using Frommer's (and other) walk books have made a huge difference in the pleasure I take in travel, and I urge all travelers to use them.

Frommer's Walking Tours: Venice (Frommer's Memorable Walks Venice)

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Frommer's Walking Tours: Venice (Frommer's Memorable Walks Venice)
Robert Ullian
Manufacturer: Frommer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8Z8HI

Frommer's Walking Tours: Venice (Frommer's Walking Tours & Memorable Walks)

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Frommer's Walking Tours: Venice (Frommer's Walking Tours & Memorable Walks)

Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Frommer's | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0671886207

Book Description

An early bird intro to Nevada basic state facts. Covers state basics such as Nevada's state nickname, seal, song, bird, motto, flag, regions, industries, neighbors, and weather, plus an intro to Nevada history, people and more. Excellent for grades 2, 3, and 4. Basic state information is presented in a non-intimidating way. Twenty-three activities reinforce basic Nevada facts. Great for easy reproducible activities, centers, a-page-a-day handouts, simple homework assignments and more. Includes glossary, bibliography and index. Free teacher's guide gives specific suggestions and instructions on how to get max educational value from this book. It's never too early to study your great state!

My First Guide About Nevada (State Experience)

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My First Guide About Nevada (State Experience)
Carole Marsh
Manufacturer: Gallopade International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

School & Education | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0635013185

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Nonprofit Kit for Dummies

Develop a system a dummy could use...

Decent introductory guide

A Comprehensive Look at Starting a Non-Profit

Not helpful at all

Nonprofit Kit for Dummies (With CD-ROM)
Stan Hutton , and Frances Phillips
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Nonprofit Organizations & Charities | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Starting and Running a Nonprofit Organization

Fundraising For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

Grant Writing For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

Starting & Building a Nonprofit: A Practical Guide

How to Manage an Effective Nonprofit Organization: From Writing and Managing Grants to Fundraising, Board Development, and Strategic Planning

ASIN: 076455347X

Book Description

The Nonprofit Kit For Dummies is the only comprehensive guide of its kind at a reasonable. This is a nuts-and-bolts guide for real people -- nonprofessional managers and volunteers who hope to start a nonprofit but don't know where to begin or who already run one but are struggling with a multitude of decisions and tasks -- real-life issues like staffing, budgeting, fundraising, tax reports, and facilities.

Customer Reviews:

Nonprofit Kit for Dummies.......2007-07-23

This book is perfect for anyone wishing to start a nonprofit or who is interested in how nonprofits work in general. Frances Phillips, a highly respected figure in the nonprofit world, and her equally gifted co-writer Stan Hutton provide as much information as you could ever hope to have about how to start and run a nonprofit in an engaging, easily accessible style. If you are overwhelmed by the prospect of starting a nonprofit, work in a nonprofit and want to gain a deeper understanding, or want to hone your skills in nonprofit work, this book is for you. Phillips and Hutton successfully demystify the process and give you all the skills and tools that you would ever need to have, and more. Run, don't walk!

Develop a system a dummy could use..........2007-05-18

For months I was learning how to start a non-profit through alot of second-hand sources and word of mouth. Hours online and months of hairpulling later, someone recommended this book and within 2 weeks all my ducks were in a row and now I'm waiting on them instead of myself.

Decent introductory guide.......2004-12-30

While I wish the book covered more specifics, it does offer a helpful broad-based introduction to the main aspects of fundraising. I would recommend this book especially to small community-based nonprofit volunteers and board members who want to gain "the big picture" and research the particulars (e.g., state-wide tax laws) elsewhere.

A Comprehensive Look at Starting a Non-Profit.......2004-08-30

I wanted to start a small not-for-profit to raise money for cancer research. But where to start? May I suggest this book?

First of all, this isn't a book for the already established, huge foundation. It's for someone (like me) who not only knows nothing about the subject, but doesn't even know where to begin.

The book covers the subject from getting started, incorporating the non-profit, writing a mission statement, applying to the IRS for tax-exempt status (hugely important!), and finding the right people to help you make your dream come true.

The second part of the book is devoted to running the non-profit. This includes setting up a board of directors, hiring staff (or working with volunteers), planning for the future, and managing money.

The third part of the book is perhaps the heart of the matter - raising money.

Understand this is a first step. It isn't the only book you'll buy if you get your non-profit up and running, but it is an excellent place to start.

Read the book and take notes. Every state has different requirements, and you'll need to contact the state agency that regulates non-profits to get the forms, filing requirements, etc. There is a lot to learn, but the book is well organized, and packed with information.

You might also research a few other books to help you with the filing process. And I think it will be important to look for as many fund-raising ideas as you can, anywhere you can find them.

Not helpful at all.......2004-03-25

As an attorney, I read a lot of publications about creating nonprofits -- here's what you need to know about this book:

1) No clear instructions on how to incorporate or how to fill out (very complicated) IRS forms necessary to obtain tax exempt status.

2) Covers a lot of topics only lightly, skipping important details.

3) No detailed info on state laws, which is extremely important to every nonprofit corporation.

If you really don't want to visit an attorney, Nolo's book "How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation" is the best one available, and addresses everything this Dummies book doesn't.

Book Description

Using the Olympic equestrian sports of show jumping, combined training, and dressage as a narrative backdrop, Menino traces the long-standing history of the fellowship between humans and horses. She focuses on three leading American riders and their horses in this fascinating account of world-class riding. With exacting insight into the interaction between people and horses, Forward Motion examines what it takes to succeed in this joint athletic venture, what makes horses tick, and what draws people to a shared life with these enigmatic animals.

Customer Reviews:

Understanding the Invisible.......2000-11-02

Holly Menino has a fluid writing style that is a delight to read. Although she may not have a complete grasp of all riding terms (which reviewer Irene found objectionable), readers who are advanced enough riders to notice her slips will, for the most part, also be mature enough understand that amateur rider Menino is not writing a technical text. It is the connections that develop between horse and rider that are of interest to her, and what drives the riders competing at the upper levels. Although I've moved on to another career, I was a professional rider, coach and trainer for 15 years. I found the book very enjoyable and have recommended it to a wide variety of people.

Inaccurate description of real training.......1999-10-27

I was throughly disappointed in reading this book. The author's amateur capabilities in the area of horses was evident in the inaccurate description of riding terms. The dressage references were especially annoying to read and detracted from any enjoyment of the description of the rider. I would prefer to have my money than this book taking up space on my book shelves.

Highly readable and enjoyable look inside english riding........1999-09-16

I highly recommend the book. It is easy to read, letting you into the highest levels of competitive riding. Its the story beyond the statistics. It lets you get to know the rider and riding philosophy with just the right amount of detail. I feel like I was really inside the rider's world for a few crucial minutes.

Anyone with any interest in horses will love it!!!.......1998-12-12

Whether you're lucky enough to ride or just have an incurable love for horses, you'll love this book! Holly Menino goes into the lives of three great horses and their riders...the description on the back cover says it all...words typically used only to describe humans bring the book to life!...I loved it so much, I read it in two hours...and I'm now buying it for my huntseat instructor!...an altogether great read!!!

Average customer rating:

Fabulous book!

A Wonderful Guide to Plant Adventures

A Wonderful Guide to Plant Adventures

A unique and very readable gardening guide

The Adventurous Gardener: Where to Buy the Best Plants in New England
Ruah Donnelly
Manufacturer: Horticultural Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

The Adventurous Gardener: Where to Buy the Best Plants in New York and New Jersey

Month-By-Month Gardening in New England : What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year (Month By Monty Gardening)

The New England Gardener's Book of Lists

Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation

Wildflowers, (The New England Wild Flower Society)

ASIN: 0967730317

Book Description

THE ADVENTUROUS GARDENER: WHERE TO BUY THE BEST PLANTS IN NEW ENGLAND offers a warm, lively, and appreciative guide to the region's outstanding plant sources, personally visited by the author.

THE ADVENTUROUS GARDENER reveals

Specialty sources for dazzling plants, rare bulbs, heirloom seeds, plant-hunter's trophies, and the newest hybrids for New England gardens

Growers and suppliers of unusual, locally grown plants that will thrive in your garden

Picturesque nurseries, from family farms to elegant greenhouses

A comprehensive plant finding index, maps, clear directions, and travel tips for New England gardeners

An indispensable sourcebook for gardeners, designers, plant fanatics, and explorers of horticultural New England.

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous book!.......2000-07-28

A gardening book focused on New England wouldn't generally be my first choice for reading material -- unless they were all like Ruah Donnelly's wonderful Adventurous Gardener. Even for a confirmed non-plant type such as myself, this book is pure delight.

Ostensibly a where-to-find book of New England plant resources, The Adventurous Gardener is part plant education, part local New England travel book, and part expose, albeit in the kindest of ways. For those of you who wondered just how those flower obsessives might be a bit.....odd.......,Ms. Donnelly pulls back the curtain and delivers the straight skinny. Her thumbnail sketches of nurseries and their keepers nail the nature of both plants and their guardians in the most satisfying way. This book is like popping bonbons.

The Adventurous Gardener has ended up my bedside reading, with me dogearing pages of places I can't wait to visit on a day with little to do. I am contemplating whether an orchid could survive my care. If you are at all interested in New England, go ahead, indulge.....buy this and don't worry if plants aren't your thing.

A Wonderful Guide to Plant Adventures.......2000-06-07

This is a true gem of a book for the gardener who is looking for unique plants. I have throughly enjoyed the book and having visited many local nurseries listed in the book for Massachusetts, I would say that the descriptions are very accurate. I have recommended the book to several gardening friends. My friends and I have already visited a couple of new places after having owned the book for a mere few weeks! I look forward to discovering a few more nurseries this summer. The only problem I found was that the driving directions do not include which city the driver is approaching from so I was lost once in Connecticut.

A Wonderful Guide to Plant Adventures.......2000-06-07

A unique and very readable gardening guide.......2000-04-05

While this book is something of a paean to New England gardening in general, and I do not live in New England, I still found it wonderful. Donnelly hasn't simply reviewed the big, obvious names (White Flower Farms, etc), but has also investigated many interesting, off-the-beaten-track nurseries that specialize in unusual and hard-to-find plants. She provides clear directions to all of them from the main roads.

The book is well-written and entertaining, with excellent profiles of each nursery. The author obviously is a knowledgeable and devoted horticulturalist, judging from the names she rattles off and her intriguing descriptions of some of the more unusual varieties mentioned here. Reading this book was an education, and a fun one.

I suspect it could also serve as a fine vacation guide. Some of the nurseries seem to be fairly out of the way, and given that they are located in some picturesque parts of New England (Berkshires, northeastern Connecticut, central Vermont), it's tempting to tie them together into a spring or summer driving trip.

Book Description

Here, at last, is a book on gardening with color by its most adventurous exponent, Christopher Lloyd. Color for Adventurous Gardeners is about using color for maximum impact.

Previous books on gardening with color have treated each color as a separate entity, but, in fact, colors work with and against each other, and must be viewed as relationships. This is the first book on gardening with color that explores how to make successful color associations with plants. Yes, there are color rules, but you have to know when and how to break them.

Offering expert views based on his many years of experience, Christopher Lloyd explores each color and encourages readers to be adventurous and daring. "The limitations imposed by rules," he writes, "are a safe-haven, but the adventurous gardener will want to try something different."

Color for Adventurous Gardeners includes over 200 stunning photographs throughout its 11 chapters, each followed by a recommended plant list:

Red - Nothing to Fear
Challenging Orange
True Blues are Few
The Value of Mauve
Enigmatic Green
Broken White
Cheerful Yellow
The Truth about Pink
Sunlit Purple
Brown Studies
Sophisticated Black

Informative and inspiring photographs by Jonathan Buckley illustrate Lloyd's colorful writing on a colorful subject, making Color for Adventurous Gardeners both a visual feast and an entertaining read.

Customer Reviews:

TRUE value!.......2003-03-24

The first thing a book about color in the garden ought to have is big pictures and lots of 'em. This book is positively unstinting: full page and even double page wonders (muzzle yourself; although the paper quality seems good, it would be a pity to sully the pages with drooling).

The seldom-under-opinionated Christopher Lloyd provides text as colorful as the photos, so brace for throwaway remarks about mundane dahlia leaves and not being snobby about dandelion flowers. There is a reassuring coziness, too, as Lloyd reviews his delights and prejudices about gardening in general and on his own expansive plot.

Here's a Christopher Lloyd lecture and slide show to peruse at your leisure. Just like such events, the book is thoroughly informative and completely entertaining.

Average customer rating:
The Adventurous Gardener (Horticulture Garden Classics)
Christopher Lloyd
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Flowers | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

In My Garden

Christopher Lloyd's Garden Flowers: Perennials, Bulbs, Grasses, Ferns

Color for Adventurous Gardeners

Gardener Cook

Dear Friend and Gardener

ASIN: 1558217576

Book Description

Lloyd inspires gardeners to be adventurous and offers ways to make new and exciting such familiar chores as weeding, taking cuttings, reseeding, and pruning.

The Adventurous Gardener: Where to Buy the Best Plants in New York and New Jersey

Average customer rating:

Like shopping with a friend. Fun and informative.

The Adventurous Gardener: Where to Buy the Best Plants in New York and New Jersey
Ruah Donnelly
Manufacturer: The Horticultural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0967730325

Book Description

A practical, lively guide to the outstanding nurseries and growers of a region rich in horticultural diversity.

From New Jersey and Long Island to the Hudson River Valley and upstate New York, The Adventurous Gardener acquaints readers with the region's most talented horticulturists—some 120 growers of exceptional plants, all visited and thoroughly researched by the author.

The standard for inclusion is simple: Each nursery is distinctive, accessible, and, above all, grows really good plants.

Discover sources for rare magnolias, tropical bananas, northern-bred daylilies, heirloom iris, native wildflowers, deer-proof herbs, collectible bonsai and orchids—fresh and unusual specimens sure to inspire gardeners in the region and beyond.

All nursery portraits include clear driving directions, open hours, Web sites, catalog availability, and mail order information. Listings of nearby points of interest—from historic attractions to roadside diners—give dimension to plant-hunting journeys. A comprehensive index helps locate particular plants, from alpines and aquatics to trees, roses, vines, and winter-interest plants.

The Adventurous Gardener combines sophisticated prose, an eye for cultivated excellence, and—of course—an unwavering spirit of adventure. This is an indispensable companion for plant lovers of all levels.

Customer Reviews:

Like shopping with a friend. Fun and informative........2005-09-03

Ruah Donnelly's informative and easy banter make this guide a pleasure to use. The Adventurous Gardener covers NY and NJ's plant suppliers for the afficianado. I used it to visit my now favorite garden shop: the Peconic Herb Farm (talk about a labor of love!). I'm slightly concerned that the material might become dated, but Donnelly seems to have chosen farms, suppliers, and centers with longevity in mind. Her quotes from the owners' themselves and the little factoids she includes made the text entertaining and I was eager to meet (or observe) the shops and their owners. Nicely done. My only complaint is that the listings are alphabetical within each region. And while each region has a map, I'd love it if the listings followed a driving order whether east to west or north to south, but that's because I hate using Mapquest to organize my trips. Or Donnelly could include more detailed maps within those regions showing how proximate the farms or centers are to each other. (Ease my navigation pains!) But that's nitpicking; The Adventurous Gardener has served me well.

Average customer rating:

Colour for Adventurous Gardeners
Christopher Lloyd
Manufacturer: BBC Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Adventurous Gardener's Sourcebook of Rare and Unusual Plants

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Adventurous Gardener's Sourcebook of Rare and Unusual Plants
William C. Mulligan
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Succession Planting for Adventurous Gardeners

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Succession Planting for Adventurous Gardeners
Christopher Lloyd , and Paul Rankin
Manufacturer: BBC Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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The Adventurous Gardener
Nancy. Bubel
Manufacturer: David R Godine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0879232765

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THE ADVENTUROUS GARDENER

Manufacturer: David R. Godine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H2QL72

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THE ADVENTUROUS GARDENER.
Nancy Wilkes; illustrated by Barry Mosher.
Manufacturer: Boston: 1979 1st ed.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KIJAB2

Book Description

Working with the Sounds of English and Dutch is aimed at the Dutch-Speaking student who is taking Phonetics as a part of an advanced course in English at University or teacher training institute. No previous knowledge of phonetics is assumed. All technical points are explained in straightforward English as they are introduced, and theoretical and practical aspects of the subject are clarified for the student by means of practical exercises in articulation and transcription. The emphasis is on a contrastive approach throughout. The sound systems of standard English (Received Pronunciation) and standard Dutch (Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands) are described in detail, with numerous helpful diagrams. Features of connected speech, for example, articulatory setting, stress, rhythm, assimilation and elision, are fully examined and a complete chapter is devoted to intonation in English and Dutch. A special attraction of the book are the sections on error analysis, which give a comprehensive treatment of pronunciation problem areas. Also included is a survey of the most important accents of the British Isles(Scots, Welsh, Irish, London, West Country etc.)

Book Description

This is the first biography about Anna May Wong, an extraordinary Asian American woman who became the country's most famous film actress of Chinese descent. This multi-faceted tale takes the reader on a compelling journey through Wong's early years in Los Angeles and her first Hollywood pictures--films that led to her international fame. It is also an examination into the scope of race, gender, and power and their impact on her personal growth as a Chinese American.

Customer Reviews:

Too Cool for Words ... Apparently.......2005-03-09

Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong, 1905-1961 (Filmmakers Series), by Anthony B. Chan is not a fun read.

The book is not a breezily written show biz bio to be read at a gallop, and enjoyed as a collection of well-known facts, juicy gossip, and scandalous speculation about its subject, nor is it intended to be so.

It is by far the most ambitious of the three books currently available on Anna May Wong, and one written with a degree of academic rigor. In it, Chan attempts to examine the life of his subject through her own words and extant examples of her art, and to place her in various historical, theoretical, artistic, philosophical and political contexts. It is a serious (perhaps overly serious) scholarly work featuring a filmography, notes on sources and many quotes from vintage reviews and writings, and while there may be a few inaccuracies, it is an overall welcome addition to the available literature on Wong.

Chan's 312-page tome is organized in three sections, and comprises eighteen chapters, each treating an aspect of Wong's biography, thought, milieu and her films and related work. It also weaves in exhaustive (and at times exhausting) discourses on subjects such as the representation of Asians in European and European American literature and entertainment, the theatrical tradition of "yellowface" (non-Asians playing the part of Asians), the rise of modern China, prostitution in colonial Shanghai, the basic principles of Taoism and Confucianism, and lots more.

The chapters can be read as independent essays, and there is a certain amount of repetition of facts and theories and interpretive conclusions between them.

Chan's approach and methodology is informed by the theories of a number of cited postmodern writers, particularly those of the late Edward Said, author of the influential text, Orientalism. To borrow a few ideas and phrases from Said, it would appear that Chan is attempting a recovery of a history hitherto either misrepresented or rendered invisible by a quasi-colonial hegemony, and an exposure of stereotypes of "the Other" and the actualities they've perpetuated and informed.

It can also be said that Chan has an axe to grind with "European American Hollywood," "European American actors," "European America" and all who done Wong wrong. He cites examples of the tendency by Hollywood--and society at large--to perpetuate racist notions of Asians as villainous, inscrutable, and generally unsavory, and how these tendencies inhibited the artistic career of Anna May Wong.

While insidious racism and the casting practices of her day undoubtedly limited Wong's choice of quality roles, Chan seemingly does not care to stress that there were many Europeans and European Americans--intellectual and cultural heavyweights on the order of Walter Benjamin, Carl Van Vechten and Evelyn Waugh--who actually admired, championed, celebrated and befriended Wong, and for all the right reasons. He does hit us over the head--relentlessly--with examples of how he feels she was belittled, slighted, and passed over by the European American Hollywood hegemony.

Chan's book is best when he allows his subject to speak for herself, and aficionados of Wong and her films will be grateful for the generous quotes from Wong's interviews and writings presented here. Chan himself is best when he writes objectively, and some of his descriptions of Wong's acting are quite vivid. Chan seems less convincing in his interpretive writing, and some of his observations seem overstated and thesis-bound.

Anna May Wong was, by all accounts, an amazing person; cultured, witty, extravagantly talented, and someone who exhibited an amazing drive to succeed. (How many little girls dream of stardom, and how few achieve it?) Though her talents were in many ways squandered, she worked in practically every entertainment medium extant in her lifetime (Wong starred in Hollywood's very first Technicolor feature at age 17 in 1922, and had her own network television detective series in 1951!), and found work in her chosen profession from her teen years to her death in late middle age. Wong was indeed "perpetually cool;" one wishes that Chan's book was perhaps more balanced, more lively, and more successful in conveying those very characteristics it purports to celebrate in its subject.

Perpectually Cool.......2004-11-21

I agree with the 2 reviewers that gave this book 5 stars.
This is by far, the best book ever written about Anna May Wong.

If any Asian-Americans out there that's interested in becoming an actress/actor. This would be an insipirational book for them.

Anna May Wong - a paragon of strength.......2004-02-05

I thorough enjoyed reading Chan's biography of Anna May Wong. Although I saw only one of her movies when I was a graduate student in America, I was deeply impressed by her art and sensitivity. Chan's book filled in a lot of the blanks. I never knew that her career covered such wide territories, not only geographically but in the various kinds performing arts - the silent movies, the talkies, stage and TV. Chan examines her work and her character. The sense I got is her humanity. It's insightful of Chan to bring out her daoist approach to life. If I remember my Lao Zi correctly from my Hong Kong days, daoist philosophy emphasizes not to seek fame or riches, but do your utmost and retreat from the limelight. The Anna May Wong that comes through is a woman of strength.
The fact that Chan's book is dedicated to the Chinese girls adopted by non-Chinese families shows the author's understanding of not only the person of Anna May Wong but also the significance of Chinese heritage. My cousin and her husband (a Scot) adopted a Chinese girl last year. I am sending them the book to keep so that their daughter will read it one day.
(Anyone who knows anything about Chinese culture and Chinese history would know the vast differences between daoist philosophy and daoist religion).
Helen (London, UK)

Anna May Reigns!.......2004-02-04

I loved Anthony Chan's book "Perpetually Cool!" It's the best book on Anna May Wong currently on the market. Unlike some other books and articles, Prof. Chan does not present Anna May Wong as a "victim" or "exotic" creature to be ogled but rather as a woman who triumphed over adversity, overcame much prejudice, took care of her family, created her own sense of style which remains iconic even today, and led a courageous and exciting life. As a Chinese American, I especially appreciated the Asian American perspective of his book. I too remember seeing Anna May Wong in "Shanghai Express" for the first time on a late-night TV showing, when I was about eight or nine years old. In those days in the late-1970s in America, there were NO glamorous images of Asians, just that awful Calgon commercial. And here was a stunningly beautiful, self-confident Asian woman holding her own against Dietrich. In fact, I think Anna May stole the movie from Dietrich with her multi-layered performance. Prof. Chan's book was fascinating to me because I had not realized all the amazing things Anna May had done in her life, including her stage work in Europe and Vaudeville, her talent with languages, and her work on behalf of charities. What a heroine! Prof. Chan is right! Anna May Wong is indeed perpetually cool.

Full of theory without adequate life stories.......2004-01-30

This book is a little bit dry. big theories shadow the inadequate narratives about the subject. Especially, the Daoist analaysis does not make sense for me. Follow Chan's logic, everyone could be a Daoist, at least at certain moment of your life. Wish the author got deeper in his research.

It seems that Chan befriended Wong's surviving brother, why have not any oral materials through interviews been included?

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