Social Sciences Books

I own an incredible amount of how to art books and this is the best among non figure drawing books. The exercises are of incredible help to me and there are an incredible amount of ideas to ignite my creativity.

With forty years of experience teaching basic drawing, this guide is probably the best I have seen for the beginning level university art student. It is clearly written and illustrated, thorough and pragmatic. Curtis does a very good job of explaining and illustrating linear and other perspective systems. The use of an imaginary clock face to estimate the angles of edges seen in perspective is very useful, and something I have done for years. (most students have difficulty comprehending a 45 or 90 angle, let alone something like a 27 degree angle).

I disagree with a previous reviewer's lack of interest in historical ideas such as the golden mean, and the Fibonacci sequence. While these certainly are not the only systems of visual organization, they demonstrate how some artists have designed their compositions. These ideas are about the relationships between various elements in a composition, and not just about perfecting a solitary object in the center of a blank page.

My only criticism is that the layout seems a bit cramped. It might look better with a larger page size, say 8.5 X 11 inches. This is a well done book and I hope it appears in a second edition.

Jim Nawara
Wayne State University

This text is the front-runner in our search for a text to teach visualization drawing for computer graphics students. Its methodology for perceiving and translating form and space into drawing very nicely parallels the principles used in computer modeling. The section on perspective clearly presents principles in such a way as to merge intuitive and analytical understanding. This is a hallmark of the book in general. In addition to practical clarity the text adds historical and theoretical perspectives to round out one's understanding of drawing. I appreciate this because, in the case of our program, it helps us to link the traditions of human visualization from ancient times to the computer age.

As a teacher of drawing, I have read many books on the subject. This book is the only one I would use as a textbook. I would agree with all the previous reviews but would only comment on the one review from the budding artist who felt the book is confusing and has too much art history for someone who only wants to learn to draw. I come to this book with over two decades of art experience so maybe that is why I find it so interesting, but even if the history is skipped and you read only the practical explanations and do the lessons in the back of the book, you will learn to draw from observation, as this book promises. The book is not meant to be read in two weeks. Learning to draw takes hard work and invested time.

Wonderful book for any artist; should be a required for all artist's library. Great reference as well as instuctional guide. Well organized, each aspect of drawing is fully covered, well written and appropiately illustrated.

Its not a bad book for someone whos just starting to read about them. Good pictures and drawings, not a great book but good enough.

From one of the most important mayanists, a very good introduction to Maya archeology.

This is an excellent introduction to the Maya. It is well-written and flows nicely. Of particular use are the fine illustrations that accompany the text; as you read the text you are refermed by numbers in the margin to a suitable illustration. One of the strong points of this book is that the author criticizes other works and himself in view of the latest research on the topic. The book also has an excellent bibliography that refers the reader to both scholarly and popular works.
A final strong point of this work is that it is only one-half to one-third the length of other works; better a shorter book that you will read than a longer one that will rest upon a shelf!
My only criticism of this book is the final chapter. Like many academics Prof Coe hates American influence (tourists innundate ruins, evangelical christianity threatens the shamans, and the cattle ranches that produce meat for "American hamburgers") and Republicans (things improved for the Maya with a Democrat in the White House). Also, he accepts the lies in Rigoberta Menchu's book as true.
Yet, overall this is a valuable book.

The ruins of the ancient Mayan city of El Mirador are deep in the jungles of northern Guatamala. Once one of the largest cities in North America with 80,000 people, El Mirador today is accessible only by helicopter or by long distance hiking. Before its mysterious abandonment in the third century AD, El Mirador boasted the Danta Pyramid, the largest structure of this type in the world. Michael Coe has written a facinating book about the world of the ancient Maya. His ability to make El Mirador and many similar sites come to life makes this book well worth the purchase price even if Yucatan and vicinity are not in one's travel plans.

Professor Coe traces the rise of Mayan civilization from earliest times, to the splendor of the Late Classic Period when as many as ten million people lived in the lowlands, to the "Mayan Apocalypse"of the eighth century AD when the greatest cities of the New World were abandoned and returned to the jungle. Each of the major sites is described in detail with a complete description of artifacts and numerous photographs and maps. The author concludes with an extended discussion of Mayan thought and culture, and with his personal tribute to "The Enduring Maya". The Mayan population of southern Mexico and Central America has returned to over seven million people despite five hundred years of European diseases and economic oppression.

It is important that we not miss the practical implications of this book. The "Mayan Apocalpse" had ecological roots. The population had increased beyond the carrying capacity of the land, and there was massive deforestation and soil erosion. Years of severe drought followed. There is currently a debate about whether global warming is real, and if so whether it matters. One of the first great civilizations in the New World came to a disastrous end because of its inability or unwillingness to deal with environmental issues. We need to draw proper conclusions from the Mayan experience.

I found this book to be a very good introduction to the Mayan culture, however, introduction may be an understatement. This book is very indepth, and academic in nature which gives it a high level of credibility.

Fast, reliable service. book in promised condition. Would definitely purchase from seller again. Thanks.
Martine

I really found this book helpful and full of information. I used it for a class that I was taking called family violence and abuse. Wallace does an excellent job outlining indicators of child abuse and he also provides different catergories of abuse such as elder abuse and alternative life style abuse. I often find myself struggling to use books assigned to each class because sometimes they are just not useful. I have spent lots of money on class texts that I have not opened once. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE WITH THIS BOOK. IT WAS VERY USEFUL.

Harvey Wallace's text book, which is being used in my Seminar:Domestic Violence Course, is a wonderful source of information about all types of domestic abuse. The extensive coverage on the many forms of child abuse is an excellent source of information for all careers, especially social workers, teachers, school psychologists, and future or current parents. I am also very glad to see that Wallace includes Elder Abuse and Gay and Lesbian Abuse in his book, types of domestic violence which often go overlooked.

I received this book very quickly and it was in excellent condition. I would definately buy from this person again.

Bloom makes a compelling case for embracing, through study, Western Civilization in general, and the Great Books in particular. He also does a good job of showing how today's universities exalt the natural sciences - which address only the material aspect of existence - while neglecting, to man's and society's peril, the social sciences and humanities, which speak to the immaterial aspects of existence.

In the course of making his case Bloom refers to Moses as a myth, or if not the man Moses, then certainly the story of him securing the 10 commandments from Mt. Sinai. At the same time Bloom acknowledges the great contribution of Moses, likening it to those contributions made my Aristotle, Socrates, or Shakespere.

Now, this is interesting logic for such an exalted intellectual as Bloom. He liken Moses to Aristotle, Socrates, and Shakespere but seems untroubled by the fact that one of them - Moses - claimed to receive what he passed down to humanity directly from God, even in face to face interaction. Neither Aristotle, Socrates or Shakespere made any such claim. If they had, wouldn't that change Bloom's opinion of those men - probably for the worse? Truth and deception have nothing in common. How would it be possible for a pathological liar to also provide man with some of the greatest moral truths ever known: "Thou shalt not steal"; "Thou shalt not murder"; "Thou shalt not bear false testimony"? How could a man who could speak this last mentioned commandment, at the same time be so out of touch with reality that he would state that he got the commandments from God? Even if it were possible that such a blend of truth and lies could reside with a man, why would Bloom venerate him?

Furthermore, Bloom convieniently shies away from calling the person, Jesus of Nazareth, a myth (a much harder case to make, even for natural sciences), and Bloom makes no attempt to account for the new paradigm erected by Jesus, especially at the Sermon-on-the-Mount. If Moses' apparently invented moral laws seem noble, if not mythically quaint, to Bloom, if Bloom were alive today would he be prepared to say the same things about Jesus's utterances in the Sermon-on-the-Mount?

Which of the following are quaint mythical statements, as likely fabricated by the mind of man as by God?

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. "

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Here again, we have the problem? If Jesus did say those things, so full of truth, how could he also tell the Samaritan women at the well:

"I who speak to you am he." (John 4:26)

after she made mention of the Messiah, if it were not true?

It is sad to see how intransigence toward the God of the Bible can make a muddle out of intellectual acumen.

This book was suggested for me to read by a friend. It was a cumbersome read about 400 some odd pages and I knocked it out in a few weeks.

Harold Bloom goes to great lengths salivating over the works of brilliant thinkers of the past. Ancient Philosophers such as Socrates 399BC, Plato 347 BC, Aristotle 332 BC and Cicero 43 BC are referenced often. More modern thinkers, philosophers and writers such as Machiavelli, 1527 AD, Descartes 1650 AD, Locke 1704 AD, Goethe 1832 AD, Nietzsche 1900 AD, are also sited often as well.

Bloom comes across as a conflicted agnostic, not wanting to embrace the ideal of intrinsic value in human beings, but not totally dismissing the ideal either. He plays it safe, acknowledging that human beings may have a soul, but stops there by making no conclusions, because in the end he really can't.

He wants excellence back in college education but offers no real remedy to get there; he only laments the ill effects of post modernism, nihilism and other soul less characteristics of present day academia. Bloom seems to have great compunction for having no solutions within his grasp. He elucidates nothing in his 400 pages; he almost like a professor who loves to hear himself speak, (think Ben Stine character in Ferris Bueller movie), but much more of an self ennobling, aristocratic, intellectual with a splendid command of the English language. Bloom has an impious, intransigent view for the believers in Deity, which I think leaves him coming up short in all his postulations. He is masterful at polemics and seems to find vigor and great joy in ruffling feathers. In the end a call to action or a conclusion to all the problems Bloom raises is untenable. It seems that he trusts in the opinions of the finite, i.e.-men, philosophers of the world, when truth is eternal and springs from our Creator, which he is loathe to approach......much less acknowledge.

In conclusion the best and most telling quote found very early in the book is here:

"I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing."
Socrates

And this quote is what Blooms seems to hang his hat on, gaining his readers nothing.

Wordy, harsh with limited acceptance for growing history. Book arrived in excellent shape and in a timely manner

Philosopher Allan Bloom's groundbreaking book, "The Closing of the American Mind," skillfully describes what has gone wrong with the university. Stuck in relativism and leaving behind the great thinkers of the past, the modern university has drifted from any sort of moorings and is in the process of decomposition. I most enjoyed the first section of the book. The second half of the book is more dense and a knowledge of Plato, Nietzsche, Hegel, Rousseau, Heidegger, etc., is recommended for a full comprehension of the subject. The argument in this book is still very timely even though it is over 20 years old.

I read this book in my final year of grad school in geology. It explained most reasons for my intellectual and ethical frustration with my entire college experience, in which I had found the academic system to be shockingly and willfully ignorant, totalitarian-restrictive, and corrupt.

My college experience was 20% Milovan Djilas, 80% Allan Bloom, capped by a thesis defense out of Martin Luther, all in William Burroughs' unconstituted police state.

This book is essential reading for any student who doesn't want his mind destroyed. I am eternally grateful to Allan Bloom for writing it.

the ad said it was used but it was in perfect condition. very fast delivery. will shop with them for future purchases.

great buisness and fast got exactly what i needed and right when i needed the book the most

I agree with the above review. I found explanation of structure to be fairly good, however, the stories were as described. It does seem politically motivated. Homosexuality & Religion, A poor attempt at Spirituality, Racism (actually a good piece by W.E.B. DuBois) etc. I would stick to the Bedford Guide and leave Philosophy, Theology and Sociology to their respective studies. In addition, it does not have Turabian styles included in this manual this you will have to purchase separately.

Most of these essays are very run-of-the-mill rants about racism, sexism, and plastic surgery. There are a few gems like Orwell's "The Hanging" (a subtle piece that exposes the injustices of capital punishment), and "Lost at C" by Jean Shepard. There are also some plain stupid ones like "The Travels of an Onion" and "Neat People versus Sloppy People" which are simply unnecessary.
I see the need for colleges to teach students about racial inequalities and cultural differences, but bad writing is unforgivable.

I read this book for a college class on Social Work, and although Loeb tells many meaningful and powerful stories, this is the same text I have heard before. If you read the first and last paragraph of each chapter you basically get the point. It's an easy read, and some may find it powerful, but I just found it repetitive and over-told.

I read Soul of a citizen which inspired me to action. I am now a volunteer activist in my neighbourhood and have formed a group of concerned citizens to negotiate and participate in our city's development plan. We have made an impact in the corporation and even had a few small successes along the way.

As many other reviewers I was asked to read this book as a part of a college course. My wife was recently assigned the reading in her MSW program. I do believe it has some value, but to a specific generation and type of activist. The book rarely (if at all) discusses a model of activism outside of that born from the peace and love movement of the 60-70s. If you are from these eras, by all means this is the book for you. If you are or will soon be a college student you will likely find little to connect with in the book. I suspect that its over use in courses at this time is a result of faculty promoting a book they feel applies to them greatly without thinking of how it applies to younger generations.

Paul is an outstanding voice in our world. Fantastic book helping bring hope to a difficult time for those of us who aspire to service. It is a challenge to keep engaged in service and Paul does provide hope. I also appreciate his newsletter and recommend it to those who appreciate his work. Great insights.

Must we indulge yet another collection of tripe in the guise of self-help? Didn't we get this sort of nonsense out of our systems a long time ago?

If you are the type who hangs around in the self-help section of Borders looking for something you haven't yet read, hoping the nice-looking man ordering the latte isn't as bad as your ex-husband, well, sure, pick this up. You can read it a few hours later after you've snuck that man past your sleeping children's doors and out to his car, and feel good about yourself and how wonderful a person you are for reading something like this.

For the rest of us that live with a real sense of morality, well, we know books like this are just excuses - a mechanism by which the anointed democrat leftists sanctify themselves. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure why I wrote this review. If it offended you, you're beyond help. If it rang true, you already know you don't want to get anywhere near this book.

Book was in wonderful condition. Did take me quite some time to recieve the product though