Analysis of Growth and Development in Xanthium (Developmental and Cell Biology Series)

Book Description

This book examines the many travel pleasures and shopping treasures found in the major cities of Thailand and Mynamar.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent antique shopping aid!.......2007-02-19

My partner and I just went to Thailand( Bangkok and Chiang Mai) for some hardcore antique shopping spree to decorate our house and expanded our collection. The information given was very useful and of course along the way we found more little shops not covered in the book. But the book definitely directs you to the right neighborhoods as far as antique goes(what we were after)
I highly recommend it to people who are after quality goods wether it's jewelry or furniture or antique or whatever. and Thailand has SO MUCH to offer!!!

An absolute "must-have" for international travelers .......2004-11-09

The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar: Best Of The Best In Travel And Shopping is an absolute "must-have" for international travelers looking to obtain quality goods or souvenirs from Thailand at a reasonable price. Intended as a supplementary resource and not a general-purpose travel guide, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar focuses specifically upon obstacles, negotiation techniques, and tips and tricks for those interested in shopping for everything from gemstones to textiles to artworks and much more. From learning how to walk away from the "touts" that try to lure tourists into overpriced stores (overpriced because the store must pay the tout a 10% to 40% commission for the service!), to a step-by-step introduction to the art of haggling, to knowing how to avoid paying thousands of dollars for what might be a cheap knock-off gemstone, to why even the locals may not always obtain the best deals (some shopkeepers can give tourists a lower price than their repeat local customers - who would expect the same bargain every time they walked through the door) to dealing with cultural differences and much more, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar zeroes in on exactly what the money-conscious tourist in Thailand needs to know.

The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand (Fourth Edition) (Impact Guides)

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The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand
Highly reccomended

The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand (Fourth Edition) (Impact Guides)
Ron Krannich
Manufacturer: Impact Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Nancy Chandler's Map of Chiang Mai

ASIN: 1570230765

Book Description

Exploring major regions and exotic countries of the world, the authoritative Impact Guides take today's discerning travelers into the fascinating worlds of artisans, craftspeople, shopkeepers, and fine hotels, restaurants, and sightseeing. These unique guides show travelers how to have a wonderful time discovering quality products, outstanding buys, and talented, interesting, and friendly people. Jam-packed with travel tips, bargaining strategies, and recommended shops, hotels, and restaurants, the Impact Guides represent some of the most exciting travel writing today. These books especially appeal to discriminating travelers who seek quality travel experience that go beyond the standard descriptive guidebooks.

Customer Reviews:

The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand.......2006-03-01

This book was very well written and helpfull. However we found some of the information out of date. Thailand, especially Bangkok has an economy flourishing right now. The price of the 5 star hotels the book recommends may be a deal by New York or San Francisco standards they seemed very expensive to me. One should carefully consider the recommendations made by the book. The book does a good job of identifing quality, but does not differentiate value for the dollar. We thought our best shopping was through our own efforts. But perhaps thats was the best part of the experience.

Highly reccomended.......2001-07-04

I enjoyed reading this book -it was informative, descriptive and very useful during my travels to Thailand. I would reccomend it for anyone traveling to Thailand, as well as anyone interested in learning more about the Thai culture and kingdom.

The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand : Best of the Best

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The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand : Best of the Best
Ronald L.; Krannich, Caryl Rae Krannich
Manufacturer: Impact Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KPHANU

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Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand And
Caryl Krannich
Manufacturer: Impact Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K85GXI

Book Description

We are on the verge of the nation's worst nursing shortage in history. Dedicated nurses are leaving hospitals in droves, and there are not enough new recruits to the profession to meet demand. Even hospitals that were once very highly regarded for the quality of their nursing care, such as Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, now struggle to fill vacant positions. What happened? Dana Beth Weinberg argues that hospital restructuring in the 1990s is to blame.

In their attempts to retain profit margins or even just to stay afloat, hospitals adopted a common set of practices to cut costs and increase revenues. Many strategies squeezed greater productivity out of nurses and other hospital workers. Nurses' workloads increased to the point that even the most skilled nurses questioned whether they could provide minimal, safe care to patients. As hospitals hemorrhaged money, it seemed that no one—not hospital administrators, not doctors—felt they could afford to listen to nurses.

Through a careful look at the effects of the restructuring strategies chosen and implemented by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the author examines management's efforts to balance service and survival. By showing the effects of hospital restructuring on nurses' ability to plan, evaluate, and deliver excellent care, Weinberg provides a stinging indictment of standard industry practices that underestimate the contribution nurses make both to hospitals and to patient care.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book for Activists.......2007-07-12

this is an absolutely great read if you don't mind reading research. The book takes Weinberg's research of nurse staffing issues caused by managed care flaws, and makes it understandable- if you're an experienced, and policy-savvy nurse.

She uses the downfall of Beth-Isreal Hospital, once the best hospital in the nation (and the model for the Magnet Program), as an example of how disseminating nursing staff from the top to the bedside can result in horrendous quality failures.

A must-read for any nursing activist, or anyone who wants the low down on why there really isn't a nursing shortage, just a shortage of nurses willing to work in current conditions.

Well written, informative, kept me interested.......2007-03-09

I really enjoyed Code Green: Money Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing. By telling the story of two hospitals that merged, one with a history of primary nursing and another with a team task driven approach the author speaks to the lack of a consistent role definition for nursing that caused the breakdown of service and quality at these two hospitals...also talked about the bottom line issue of money, the power issues in nursing, the importance of having nursing leadership in top hospital administration positions and so much more. Really gave me an insight into the pitfalls inherent in professional nursing practice as viewed through real problems which developed in the lives of real nurses in two prestigious medical institutions.

Code green:money driven hospitals and the dismatling of nursing.......2006-11-30

Came on time and was in wonderful condition.

The "true" colour of healthcare..........2004-11-08

Although this book is based in the U.S., so much is the same in Canada. I would highly recommend this book for nurses [who may be trying to figure out 'what it's all about Alfie'], for nursing students and no doubt, the public - so they can gain a better understanding of what it is that nurses are up against. As one wise person put it - it's a pity that these corporate entities in charge of running our healthcare, know the cost of everything...yet the value of nothing ("The Peter Principle")! So much needless suffering all for a race to the "bottom-line"/dollar. Thank you for such an intelligent book!

Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing.: An article from: Nursing Education Perspectives

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Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing.: An article from: Nursing Education Perspectives
Margaret M. Miller
Manufacturer: National League for Nursing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Nursing Education Perspectives, published by National League for Nursing, Inc. on May 1, 2004. The length of the article is 419 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: Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing.
Author: Margaret M. Miller
Publication: Nursing Education Perspectives (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2004
Publisher: National League for Nursing, Inc.
Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Page: 146(1)

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Dana Beth Weinberg, Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing.(Book Review): An article from: Labour/Le Travail

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Dana Beth Weinberg, Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing.(Book Review): An article from: Labour/Le Travail
Esyllt Jones
Manufacturer: Canadian Committee on Labour History
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Labour/Le Travail, published by Canadian Committee on Labour History on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1364 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: Dana Beth Weinberg, Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing.(Book Review)
Author: Esyllt Jones
Publication: Labour/Le Travail (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: Canadian Committee on Labour History
Issue: 55 Page: 281(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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Customer Reviews:

A "Must Have" book for prospective dog owners.......2007-01-26

I had the distinct (and purely coincidental) pleasure of living in the same Florida Panhandle City as Nathan "Bert" Childs when I decided to get my first German Shepherd Dog. I wanted to "do it right" so I did what any responsible prospective dog owner would do...I turned to the "yellow pages" for a dog trainer. Bert and I had a long chat over the phone and I was completely sold on his methods of training by the end of our conversation. I hired Bert to train me...to train my dog. I was completely captivated by Bert and his way with my dog from the first minute. In fact, I was so completely impressed that I took it upon myself to study Bert...and his way with dogs. I took that knowledge and, through patience and practice, have since become a dog trainer myself. I am also among the priveleged few to still have a copy of Bert's first book, "Leader of the Pack." I lend it to all of my prospective clients to read, as I will with his new book, "Shaping the Wolf within your Dog." Please, if you want a happy, healthy and well adjusted dog then buy this book today!

Shaping the Wolf Within Your Dog.......2005-06-15

Over 4000 dogs trained, over 40 years of dog training, 4 generations of training dogs... Nathan Childs, no doubt is the #1 authority in dog training in the United States.

My personal testimony starts with our 1st puppy, Behr, a Yorkshire Terrier. (Using Mr. Childs 1st book, which was written off the cuff in comparison to this one.) At 9 weeks old (3 weeks after bringing him home), Behr knew 72 commands. He also taught us some commands as well. Smile

Many spend many hours searching for the perfect car, house, mate...look no further for the perfect trainer, Nathan Childs. You too can not only have a wonderfully obedient dog, but also you will have a deep (pack) connection with your, now highly prized companion.

With as much knowledge, insight and experience as Nathan Childs has, he truly, should be called the "Wolf Whisperer."

Best book I've seen for understanding your dog!.......2005-06-01

Excellent book. When I got a new pup, I bought several books including this one. I read them all, and this one made sense to me. My husband and I tried the techniques described in the book such as hiking combined with hide&seek to become the "alpha" of our pack. This worked great and was great fun for the pup as well as for my husband and me. The techniques described in the book worked so well on our pup that we tried them on our older (~8-9 year old) dog. They worked for her too! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? I highly recommend this book!!!

Pack Training Primer .......2005-05-14

A practical and common-sense approach to dog training, from the dog's point of view. If you only read one dog-training book, this is the one you should read. Written by a professional dog trainer who has trained over 3000 dogs over the last 40 years, it is both an enjoyable and educational read that teaches people how simple it is to live in harmony with a dog. Shaping the Wolf Within Your Dog is a study of wolves and dogs. With an understanding of how wolves (the ancestor of the dog) communicate and establish social order within the pack, we can project our alpha status to our dogs. As the author states: If your dog believes you are the pack leader, he will be motivated to be an obedient and well-mannered pack member. But if your dog believes he is the alpha, he will rule as he sees fit. Mr. Childs has offered an alternative means of training dogs, one that uses neither force or food rewards. He calls his method Pack Training. By communicating your love, will, and authority in your dog's language, you will not have to resort to bribery or force or clickers. With an understanding of wolf behavior and communication, you will understand what your dog's behavior is saying, and you will also know how to respond like an alpha wolf. You will understand why your dogs jumps on you, pulls you when he walks on lead, and doesn't come when you call; you will also know why dog-bite is more common today than any other time in history, and how you can protect your family from becoming a dog-bite statistic.

Book Description

Following the success of A Passion for Flowers, Carolyne Roehm's seasonal notebooks have established themselves as essential resource guides for gardening and entertaining. Each notebook features recipes and menus related to the specific season and to holidays within that season, as well as gardening tips - both practical and armchair. The books are also remarkable for their stunning design, with large, color photographs which embody the themes of beauty and grace. Now, in one specially designed slipcase, all four notebooks are available as a year-round source of pleasure and information.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful and a good read too!.......2003-08-11

Of all the Carolyne Roehm books, this set is my favorite. It had some practical gardening tips as well as the flower arrangements and recipes. If you are expecting a gardening "how to" book, this is not the one. However, the books are beautiful and I enjoyed each one. It gave me many ideas for my own home. I will never have a budget that allows me to purchase 12 dozen roses for one display, however, many of her ideas can be implemented on a smaller scale with less expensive florals. The color combinations were inspiring as well as the examples of matching floral displays to the surroundings. If you love flowers and beautiful table scapes, you will love this book.

overpriced cookbook.......2003-06-02

A seasonal cookbook with a lot of flowers. Not much design help whatsoever. Not what I wanted

Seasonal Notebooks: Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring

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Seasonal Notebooks: Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring
Carolyne Roehm
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Carolyne Roehm | Expert Advice | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OECZAK

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Teaching to ride well in every type of saddle

Important work

The Royal Book of Horsemanship, Jousting & Knightly Combat: Dom Duarte's 1438 Livro da Ensinana de Bem Cavalgar Toda Sela
Antonio Franco Preto
Manufacturer: Chivalry Bookshelf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Jousts and Tournaments: Charny and the Rules for Chivalric Sport in Fourteenth-Century France

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ASIN: 189144834X

Product Description

For the first time, the King of Portugal's 1438 treatise, LIVRO DA ENSINANǁ DE BEM CAVALGAR TODA SELA, will be available in English. Never before translated even into modern Portuguese, Antonio Franco Preto has delivered a superb rendition of this most important treatise. The ROYAL BOOK OF HORSEMANSHIP, JOUSTING & KNIGHTLY COMBAT is a chivalric treatise written by a renowned medieval king who was an expert in his subject matter. Superbly educated, the king wrote about fundamentals of medieval horsemanship--including specifics about clothing, shoes, saddles and tack--about the seat and riding securely in the saddle, details about the medieval hunt, about how to joust, including roles for the knight's assistants and squires, about different kinds of lances, about wrestling and fighting with the sword. More than this, the work is a chivalric treatise on the par with Geoffrey de Charny's Book of Chivalry or Ramon Lull's Book of Knighthood & Chivalry. Its minute examination of the human spirit, in all its glory and failings, is woven with consummate skill into the text. D. Duarte discusses the moment of impact, for example, lance against lance, and about different ways that men fail at the point of impact. This failure is then discussed in the context of life. This work is a prize of medieval literature and Portuguese history that has languished in obscurity owing to its difficulty. But Dom Duarte was considered to be one of the great kings of Portugal, and his work, dedicated to his wife, left Portugal with her as she departed for Naples with the king's death. When the French overran Naples in 1495, the book was transferred to the French National Library, which it remains today. Although several old editions have appeared in Portugal, they were in the original language and were extremely difficult. Antonio Franco Preto has now rendered this text not only accessible, but preserved its elegance as well. It will be an important book to many: students of chivalric literature, the equestrian arts, jousting, Western martial arts, or Portuguese history.

Customer Reviews:

Teaching to ride well in every type of saddle.......2006-03-02

This book was written by the King Dom Duarte of Portugal in the early 15th century; a text that has long been overlooked by horse masters and scholars alike over the centuries. Usually when Duarte's work is mentioned, it is in brief and only covers a singular topic. Due to these limited translated excerpts, there is a common misconception in the community of interest that this book is just about jousting. I assure you, it is not.

Basically "Bem Cavalgar", a short hand term for the work, is a 15th century book of advice on or teaching how to ride in every type of saddle. Duarte speaks from his own experience about having a firm seat and to be well mounted when performing tasks from jousting to hunting and every day riding. He also covers the use of proper equipment for the specific task. Many modern equestrians may see bits of advice that come remarkably close to what they've been taught from their earliest riding lessons.

Duarte, like many rulers of his age, was philosophical, being well versed in mythology of the past and the religion of the day. Duarte covers many of these aspects in his own musing about "The Will" and why sometimes riders fail or succeed because of the types of will and desire employed in riding or other activities.

Amusingly enough, Duarte was very concerned about appearance and looking good while you were in the saddle. If one had an especially difficult horse, he explains how the rider could "disguise" the difficulty by straightening a hat or bit of clothing until the horse was under control so as not to appear unsafe or concerned about falling; style and elegance.

The book contains Duarte's advice and thoughts on weapon handling. His advice is sound regarding work from the ground before trying it from horseback. His belief that if you didn't feel safe and confident working with a weapon on the ground, you wouldn't be safe or confident with it on horseback. This follows the teachings of some of Duarte's contemporaries like Fiore di Liberi (Italian), whose system approaches the basics (wrestling and weapons) from the ground and eventually teaches the student to use the combat techniques from horseback a skill that Duarte laments later in his text that the young noblemen seem to be losing due to their pursuit of the ladies and courtly romance.

Martial techniques that are discussed in whole or briefly: work with the lance, the sword, and wrestling. Probably not as detailed as most students of historical western martial arts would like, but those experienced in equestrian martial sport will probably realize that much of it is common sense and practices that many of us have been doing for years.

In comparison to other works on the horsemanship of antiquity, Duarte is at times sketchy about details and without images for guidance; the reader is left to draw their own conclusions in regard to visualizing how certain movements are performed.

About the translation, I've been studying the work by Joseph Piel for years and know what a difficult and monumental task "Bem Cavalgar" was to translate. Mr. Preto has done a commendable job in bringing this difficult work to English, in full, for the first time. He has also added a bit of information to the beginning of the book to share a chronicler's description of Duarte and share the history of Portugal with the reader to add a bit of context to Duarte's work. (Obrigado)

While I have the highest regard for the content of the book and the effort it took to bring it to the masses, as a bibliophile and a design professional, I must now share my concerns regarding the presentation of this work.

In comparison to other works on horsemanship that offer a modern translation, I found the work to be missing two key components, a facsimile of the original manuscript or a text version of same and/or contemporary artwork to add visual breaks for the eye. While this may not seem to be an issue with most readers, for a scholar, it doesn't allow for comparison of the translation with the work. Sometimes errors occur and without a source to for comparison, you will never know.

When I was finally able to hold the book in my hands, my first impression was the disappointment I felt with the low quality of the binding and the flimsy paper stock. The faux leather had air bubbles under it where the glue didn't adhere or didn't cover the boards. The gold leaf text was practically illegible (same for the dust jacket). The whole thing would probably have been better served by a cloth cover and a regular serif font for readability rather than trying to mimic a manuscript.

A major issue was that before I had even finished my first reading, the binding had come unglued and the end papers had begun to separate from the cover. I have purchased several books over the years in the same price range and have never had this happen. The watch phrase is "handle with care" when reading to avoid damage to the book.

Advice to the publisher: Quality Control.

Having said that, I am pleased to see the work finally come to light as the information is more important than the binding. So, if you are a medieval horsemanship enthusiast or interested in the knightly arts even if you don't have a horse, I definitely recommend that this book be a part of your equestrian and medieval studies library.

Important work.......2006-03-02

This is a very valuable and important work for anyone interested in historical horsemanship; especialy jousting. It is a great pitty that this book is so poorly produced (esp for the money!) & the binding is particularly bad (otherwise this is a 5 star book). Those who want it will still buy it however as it is the only English translation published that I know of.

The Culture of the Horse: Status, Discipline, and Identity in the Early Modern World (Early Modern Cultural Studies)

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The Culture of the Horse: Status, Discipline, and Identity in the Early Modern World (Early Modern Cultural Studies)

Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1403966214
Release Date: 2005-02-10

Book Description

This volume fills an important gap in the analysis of early modern history and culture by reintroducing scholars to the significance of the horse. A more complete grasp of the role of horses and horsemanship is absolutely crucial to our understanding of the early modern world. Each chapter in this collection provides a snapshot of how that tapestry of images, objects, structures, sounds, gestures, texts, and ideas articulate the pervasiveness of the horse in all aspects of early modern culture.

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An Early History of Horsemanship
A. Azzaroli
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Early History of Horsemanship

Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Written by noted British film journalist Tony Earnshaw, An Actor and a Rare One: Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes follows the career of Peter Cushing, one of England's finest actors, as he works his way up from regional theater to the role of the world's most famous detective. This book details Cushing's career as Holmes through anecdotes and reminiscences as told by his colleagues and Cushing himself.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing New Here, but Not Without Use.......2006-01-26

It is surprising to note that many books have been written examining the wealth of Sherlock Holmes films, but only one actor, Jeremy Brett, has had a full book given over to his performance as Holmes. Surprisingly there has never been one specifically written about Rathbone's series of films, although the Northern Musgraves did publish an excellent monograph by Roger Johnson, on just that subject in 1992. With the arrival of Tony Earnshaw's An Actor, and a Rare One: Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes we can now up the tally to two actors. The fact that the subject is one of the most loved Sherlockian actors, is a welcome bonus!

An Actor, and a Rare One: Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes is an expansion of a 17 page article that Tony Earnshaw wrote for The Ritual: The Newsletter of the Northern Musgraves Sherlock Holmes Society back in 1994. The new book clocks in at 146 pages, but oddly adds very little new material for the well-read Sherlockian, but actually gathers together much that may be of greater interest to the general Cushing fan. In either case, the usefulness of the book lies in this "gathering" of previously published material into one volume.

The book falls into natural chapters, beginning, after some minor preamble, with a look at Hammer's version of the The Hound of the Baskervilles, then the BBC series, 3 ½ pages on audio recordings and Cushing's appearance as ACD in The Great Houdini, an inordinate amount of space on The Masks of Death and a final chapter of a few pages filling in the remainder of Cushing's life. This is then followed with 3 appendices that details cast and credit lists in the first, reprints Cushing's published Sherlockian introductions and forewords in the second and has a rather bizarre grouping of mini-bio's of various actors, writers and directors making up the third. When you get right down to it, what you have is a 79-page article, heavily padded with quotations and contemporary reviews that create as full a picture as possible of Peter Cushing's 17 remarkable performances as Sherlock Holmes.

The Hammer Hound has been heavily analyzed and Earnshaw adds nearly nothing that hasn't been covered better before (most notably in Sherlock Holmes on the Screen by Robert W. Pohle Jr. and Douglas C. Hart.) Encountering the early statement that producer Anthony Hinds was "...an entrepreneur and sometime variety artist who performed as Will Hammer..." was something of a surprise and hopefully an editor's error, as Anthony Hinds was in fact the son of Will Hammer. Fortunately he is correctly identified in the rather pointless mini-bio later in the third appendix. The chapter is essentially made up of a lengthy synopsis of the film followed by numerous reviews from contemporary sources interspersed with extracts from Cushing's two autobiographies and a few quotes from other sources. The most interesting aspect of the chapter is the reprinting of notes on playing Holmes, made by Cushing, in his own copy of the script. We know he played the part magnificently, but one wonders just how he set about to "Have hypnotic quality".

In approaching the 1968 Sherlock Holmes series produced by the BBC, Earnshaw hit the stumbling block faced by anyone writing today. He hasn't actually seen the entire series. As most no longer exist, this is no real surprise, but surely handicaps any attempt to fully document Peter Cushing's total Sherlockian output? Faced with this dilemma, Earnshaw does the right thing and comments directly on only the four episodes he can have seen firsthand: The Sign of Four, The Blue Carbuncle, The Boscombe Valley Mystery and the two-part Hound of the Baskervilles. All of which is well and good, but still leaves the subject of the book unfortunately incomplete. Beginning with Douglas Wilmer's familiar comments on rejecting the series, Earnshaw then trots out the individual synopses bolstered by familiar interview extracts and quotations from Cushing recounting the grueling shooting schedule and the slipshod approach to the production. Again, most of the available material has been effectively covered elsewhere. Similar quotations appeared in last year's Peter Cushing Companion by David Miller, where a better idea of the troubled series and its star's approach to it was presented in a single chapter.

From the BBC series we skip to a quick statement that Cushing recorded a 13- hour reading of The Return of Sherlock Holmes for the Royal National Institute for the Blind. Earnshaw then points out that these are only available to the blind and so consequently he says nothing about the quality of the reading. To fill out the rest of the 3 ½ page chapter, amusingly entitled "The Voice of Holmes and the Face of Conan Doyle" he goes on to briefly discuss Cushing's, spiritually correct but physically incorrect, appearance as Arthur Conan Doyle in The Great Houdini. Lamentably, no quotations from Cushing appear in regards to his thoughts on playing Conan Doyle.

In what turns out to be the most in-depth chapter of the book, Earnshaw turns his attention to Cushing's final performance as Holmes in Tyburn's The Masks of Death. For the final time we are treated to the familiar formula of a lengthy synopsis peppered with interview extracts and reviews. This time however, we benefit by having less familiar comments from director Roy Ward Baker (who also wrote the foreword), writer N. J. Crisp (who offers some interesting insights into Cushing's approach to dialogue) and producer Kevin Francis (who clearly shared something of a friendship with Cushing). A fair bit of informative coverage is also given to the proposed, but unfortunately never filmed, follow-up entitled The Abbots Cry.

The final chapter, less than creatively titled, His Last Bow briefly sums up the remainder of Cushing's career. A quick mention is made of his turning down the Holmes role in the stage-play The Crucifer of Blood and also turning down a guest appearance in Granada's production of The Last Vampyre.

The appendices, with the exception of the pointless mini-bios, are good. Cast and crew lists are relatively complete, although much the same can be found in Gordon Kelley's Sherlock Holmes Screen and Sound Guide. The reprinting of Cushing's various Holmes related introductions and forewords to books, is a very nice touch, pointing out as it does, his ongoing interest in the character beyond just his screen appearances.

While I find the book, on the whole, to be somewhat superfluous, it does have the benefit of conveniently pulling together, into one volume, most of the known material on Peter Cushing's work as Sherlock Holmes. As such it is a fairly good "one-stop" collection for both the Cushing fan and the Sherlockian, that documents, through Cushing's own words and those that worked with him, not only his drive to bring Conan Doyle's character to faithful cinematic life, but also paints an interesting picture of the man himself. Unfortunately the key failings are that it sheds very little new light on its subject, and that the book simply is not a complete record. The latter problem is through no fault of the author as the BBC purportedly wiped tapes of the 1968 series as a cost saving measure. Unless these lost episodes should surface at some point, it is doubtful that we will ever have a truly complete picture of Peter Cushing's output as Sherlock Holmes. Hopefully, such a time will come, but until then, we shall have to content ourselves with Tony Earnshaw's effort.

Lightweight and adds very little to our knowledge.......2001-07-18

This has to be a great opportunity missed. For many, including myself, Peter Cushing was THE Holmes (after Rathbone) and here was a chance to really detail his performances in the role - especially the BBC series. But the author adds very little to our knowledge of either Peter`s portrayal of the character or the Holmes Canon itself. A pity.

Before Brett and after Rathbone, was Cushing.......2001-05-12

Tony Earnshaw presents a well-written and thoroughly researched monogram on the late great Peter Cushing's performances as Sherlock Holmes.

An Actor and A Rare One is very readable, and insightful book. Lightweight, it presents much information on Cushing's performances in both a factual and critical manner. With lengthy chapters on the Hammer Hound of the Baskervilles, the BBC tv series and on the Masks of Death and proposed follow up, along with a guide to his Holmes performances and a selection of biographies for fellow cast and crew on the productions, this is very much a book for both Cushing and Holmes enthusiasts.

An excellent publication, which presents new light on a much-loved actor in one of his finest roles.

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