Westerns Books

This is a great book and I use it as a textbook in my classes at the university. It is really a refute of the Bell Curve and Gould does a great job in presenting the historical facts that make us question the pervasive uses of IQ testing.

This book is supposed to be an accurate refutation of "the Bell Curve", but there is truth to the arguments in both books. The only question is to what degree do nurture and nature effect human intelligence?

This is a necessary book during the current climate of high-stakes testing as mandated by No Child Left Behind. No Child Left Behind stipulates that test results should be publicly reported for each subgroup (i.e., African American, Hispanic, White, etc). What is not being discussed though is how the current test results might be influenced by the culturally and linguistically biased nature of the tests. Gould's books serves as a reminder of the historical misuse of culturally and linguistically biased tests, and how the tests have historically been used to "prove" the inferiority of African Americans, immigrants, etc. The current mandate that "subgroup" test results are to be publicly reported reeks of the era of using the measurement of skulls as "proof" of African American intellectual inferiority (as delineated in Gould's book).

Are there entire populations of people who are born with an innate, quantifiable intelligence greater than others? Can intelligence even be quantified? According to Gould, science has not yet arrived at a meaningful and scientifically legitimate understanding of this concept of intelligence, nor a way to measure it, nor any proof that certain races are naturally smarter than others.

I would expect an eminent evolutionist to spend his time making a case for how biological diversity lends itself to multiple levels of mental ability through natural selection. But instead Gould puts on a turtleneck and tweed and plays historian--quite well, too! His scientific background gives him the credibility to explore this topic like no historian could.

Gould walks through the history of science's attempt to quantify human intelligence and demonstrates how and why each method eventually failed. But of course this type of science exists today in various types of IQ tests, bell curves, all of which are used to not only measure this thing we call intelligence, but also by some to argue that some groups are naturally superior to others. Gould analyzes the history, methods and underlying theories behind these contemporary incarnations.

The book is readable, well illustrated, well documented, and has a lot of solid historical analysis.

Regarding Stephen Jay Gould's book "The Mismeasure of Man," it seems to me that a recurring theme can be found in many of the negative reviews. The theme is a variation of the claim: "Gould allows his ideology to get in the way of his analysis." Putting aside, for the moment, the question of whether or not that particular criticism has any basis in fact, I find it remarkable that the progenitors of such a claim do not (will not?) consider the possibility that the scientists, scholars and social scientists who hold views antithetical to those of Gould's--e.g. intelligence is largely genetic and heritable; the gap in I.Q. test scores between whites and blacks is due to innate genetic differences--may be guilty of committing the same malfeasance for which Gould is being accused.

Moreover, one has to wonder if the prime reason for all the strong negative criticism is not necessarily a general disagreement with the printed facts, but rather a personal, visceral rejection of the perceived incompatibility between the conclusions Gould recovers, on the one hand, and the chosen ideology of the critical reviewers themselves, on the other.

Given the plausibility of such a scenario, I believe a healthy dose of introspection and sincerity is in order, lest one proceeds to "cast the first stone."

love it! very informative and has the best of the best artworks. but could use a modern edition strictly of the 20th century

This is one of the standard history of art textbooks. Of course it includes color prints of all the most famous art of the Western tradition, as well as numerous photographs and floorplans of famous architecture. It has a little coverage of Islamic art, but that is a topic that deserves better than it can be given in a textbook on the Western tradition. Painting, architecture and sculpture are clearly the focus, but photography and decor each get a nod. Other forms of art--from gardening to appliance design--although interesting, evidently cannot fit in this space.

The text is adequate: a little better than standard textbook composition, less dull, perhaps a touch less condescending, and of course perfectly informative.

Issues in technique, interpretation and so on are well-introduced.

If you, like me, are not a student but an adult just curious about art, this is a fine choice. I've also enjoyed work by Robert Hughes ("The Shock of the New," which I strongly recommend, and "American Visions"), Andre Malraux ("The Voices of Silence") and David Morgan ("The Sacred Gaze").

(I'm not widely read in this field by any means: those are the only books I've read about Western art history! So there could be various better books out there. But still, this textbook has been very useful to me, helping me fill out my knowledge in many areas.)

An excellent base for an art student to build upon; clear, informative, visual, and historical. Supplements and sources such as Wikipedia and encyclopedias and history texts will show how intertwined art is with politics and religions in depth where the book skims over.
A wonderful book, and covers some Eastern Art despite the focus title on the West. Chapters are organized and they get the point across; lovely descriptions of photographs that are present in the book, so you really get to study the subject and with the assistance of the text, see the inner beauty in the architecture.
What I found lacking was the mention of the Golden Ratio, and in fact, any mathematics whatsoever. As mathematics is very important to ancient-modern art, I found it rather confusing. However, as said before, an excellent base.
Very intriguing and not in the least boring or dry, Janson's History of Art is a prime choice coupled with supplementary books. If you're interested in overall art history, this is the one to go with...
Have fun!!!

This book is incredibly comprehensive and covers all aspects of art in different cultures, including painting, sculpture, architecture, and burial sites. It is remarkably detailed (almost too much so), and has many great pictures.

The most distinctive aspect of this book is the primary sources it includes that explain the historical context of artworks. For example, there are numerous letters (translated, of course) from Italian artists in the Renaissance to their clients. Another text includes excerpts from the law code of Hammurabi, to accompany the sculptural piece on which it was originally engraved.

I used the original Janson when I took art history in college. I bought this for my son and started reading it on my own. What a wonderful rework of this classic. It provides very accessible descriptions of historical context as well as clear presentations of the impact of "technology" (i.e. development of various media) on the ability of the artists of various periods to express themselves. Love this book.

Nelson and Blakely deliver an action-packed page-turner with far more substance than the average Western novel. While the mix of intrigue and suspense will keep readers on the trail, the enduring qualities of the characters are what set this novel apart.

Joan Halifax brings deep wisdom and caring to every moment, and this book is one more example of the gifts she shares so freely. We all deal with death and dying, now or later, ours or others, and this wise book will help us traverse the terrain more gracefully.

Honey Ward
www.ExperienceYourPower.com

Healthy, clear, concise guidance, including reflective meditation to care for those who are dying.

At the same time in developing compassion and fearlessness to face the dying, it concurrently provides a guide for healthy living.

Who knows what is most important in life? Those who deny it and live on in ignorant bliss, or those for whom it is already knocking on their door.

This book is a great book, don't get me wrong. But the book I ordered was supposed to come with a CD-ROM...didn't get it. And I also received an Intructor's Edition instead of the student version that I ordered, and the student version comes with a project management module which I need for my class and did not get! And the student version also has an access code on it which i need to be able to access my assignments online, and the intstructor's edition doesn't have one of those either. So I can't do my homework for my class. So basically what im saying is, don't believe what the book descriptions on here tell you, because I thought I was getting what I needed and I was wrong!!

I am very dissastisfied with their service as of now, and I probably won't get as much money for the book when I do try to return it, so now I have worse problems than I had before! Thanks a LOT amazon.com

Bought this book used for my on-line class. Have to say for it being used, it was great! No marks, but I think I got lucky on that one.

Useful information, when first trying to figure out which area in bussiness you want to concentrate on.

Hints and Examples, are very helpful too.

This book has been updated from front to back with relivent examples. Keeps teaching the relivent information while keeping it interesting.

It is very helpful and interesting.

I'm taking an on-line college course, and this is this textbook. It's full of up-to-date information that relates well to today's business world. An excellent introduction book to the fascinating world of business.

I went through a I-Love-Diana-Palmer journey after reading LAWLESS. My friends, that journey is over, at least for now. I can't handle the abusive men she has a heros. There is no way of sugarcoating this, but the rancher Jared Cameron is scum - seriously. FEARLESS was the bottom of the barrel and Rodrigo Ramirez (from FEARLESS) should have been shot for his abuse, but Jared Cameron (from this book) should have had something vital cut off. So no more searching through Palmer's books to find what I found with LAWLESS.

I read iron cowboy very fast when I received it. Out of habit I immediately reread this book. Upon rereading it I read things I missed the first time. Jared to feel remorse but coped badly with his quilt and of course blamed Sarah. No doubt this was not the best book I have every read, but I did enjoy it. Ms. Palmer is a good writer, but I think it would be hard to develop a good story when you only have 190 some pages to do it in. I found ms. palmer books are really good when she has more pages to develop and expand the characters. I wanted more from this book
that the page limit would not allow. So, I think we need to give ms. palmer some credit that she even accomplished a far better written book then some of the other harlequin desire books I have wasted my money on.
Her desire books are a lot more complete and less rushed then the others.
So, please reread this book, slowly and maybe you will see what I mean.
I have read some really bad books in my life time by bestselling authors,
this one was a step above some of those.

O, dear God!!! I wish Diana Palmer will be able to read this review!
I have been her fan for more then 15 years.I have about 100 hundred books of hers.
What is going on with Mrs. Palmer in the last 5 or so years? She is not capable of writting anything that can even come close to any of her older books.
This particular book is so booooring...Sara is huging Jared in cemetery and offering him to look out for each other,and he is so interested in the North African theater of war,uh give me a break Diana!And please do not put on your books something like " brand new Long Tall Texans story", because I have all of those stories and the new ones are just very bad.Why is that I am wondering??
Why Mrs Palmer does not stick to her writting style that made her so popular!! I think she should read some of her old stories just to refresh her memory what we like and EXPECT from her. Mrs. Palmer let's start with September morning from 1983., or Unlikely lover.
Please, Mrs.Plmer do change and start delivering the new stories but written in your old style.Thank you.
If it is possible I will give this book less then one star.

This book was terrible. It read like a bad 1970's B-movie (I always get the feeling when I read her books that she's not up to date with the current year wer'e in). I do believe Ms. Palmer is stuck in a time-warp and I think the characters (male and female) are just plain stupid. All of her female characters were either born and raised in a barn or kept in the closet and let out occasionally. No one in the US can be as naive as her female characters; they love emotional abuse from their men; the men usually have way too many hang-ups and what reasonably intelligent woman would keep putting up with them. Really! Who would believe that so many former intelligence agents, live in one small town in Texas. Maybe she should stick to historicals.

I think it is official. Diana you should turn in your pen. I am sorry but this was the worst yet. How does anyone condone the fact that this poor girl who had lived through enough was a victim of date rape? Just because you know your attacker does not mean it is any less awful. Yet, it was never acknowledged as this by the author or those around them. He intended for them to have sex and she did not plan or want to have intimate relations. He took advantage of her and showed no true remorse. As usual for Diana's characters, she took the blame which is typical for most victims. Ms. Palmer, your views are from a day gone by. Men who treat women so horribly are no longer found acceptable in today's society. I commend you for holding high moral standards for your women but why is it ok for your men to act so atrociously? Readers, please be warned when you read this book, it is a substandard example of a once wonderful writer.

This book is excellent. Easy to read and very interesting. Although it is a textbook, it reads more like a novel. The online helps are worthwhile as well.

OK, this book is not too bad. A fairly easy read and it is well written. Plenty of great ideas.

I found this texbook to be very useful. I used it for a graduate leadership seminar and I was very pleased with the way Richard Daft organized and wrote the book. Anyone seeking to better understand leadership would benefit tremendously from reading this book.

This textbook is written in very clear and simple language. Very easy to understand.

I'm using this book for a graduate course. It is very readable and has lots of interesting side articles included. The many evaluations it provides provide a quick way to see new perspectives on your leadership style. It provides a broad view of leadership theories, styles, followership, culture, etc. I have taken another graduate course that uses Dr. Daft's Management book. There are many overlapping topics between the two books as expected. There is also a website associated with the book which has some good resources including PowerPoint slides. My only complaint is the price seems high for a non-hardbound book.

This book is so wonderful! It's a great resource for the novice mycologist with beautiful color photos and detailed descriptions. The best thing about this book is the authors' light-hearted yet knowledgeable approach...more scientists should have this much fun!

All That the Rain Promises, and More ...: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms is more than just a field guide, it is an entertaining book packed with information, photos, and recipes. It's also the perfect size for mushroom hunting trips, as it won't take up all the room in your basket. I have used this book since I started mushroom hunting four years ago, and it was well worth the money.

I live in Minnesota and I bought this book in December. Obviously, I haven't had a chance to use it for its intended purpose but it looks extremely promising.
I purchased this book because I am highly interested in mushroom hunting and the like. This book is purely a hip-pocket (not hip as in cool, mind you) guide and completely supplementary to another book written by the same author, Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi. All That the Rain Promises does not go into extreme depth on all of the different types of mushrooms, rather it gives you an intimate portrait of each mushroom; where it's found, what it looks like, edibility and often anecdotes about the particular mushroom for the sake of identification purposes are included as well as color photos of mushrooms in their natural habitat. It references Mushrooms Demystified for further reading.
Really, don't buy this book without also buying Mushrooms Demystified. I wouldn't feel comfortable going on a mushroom hunt having simply read this book.

Wonderful book! I'm no longer a "fungiphobe" hooray! I highly recommend it and it goes great with mushrooms demystified, and fits in my pocket, it's interesting and fun not bland at all like some guides can be. It even gives you good recipes for some of the edibles. Only shows psilocybe semilanceata and psilocybe cyanescens for those who care. Has easy to identify edibles that the book helped me to feel confident about!

I got this a few years ago at a class Arora taught in Ft Bragg. I keep it with my hiking supplies because I certainly can't carry Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi around with me. This one is a great read and is enough, with its fine photos, to do decent field identification.

I can understand that people in other areas might be disappointed in the western focus, but be aware that the 1986 MD has a broader geographic scope.

Don't think you can beat Arora for mycological knowledge and he communicates it very well with verve and humor.