A Century of Mycology

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A Century of Mycology

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Fungi | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Bacteriology | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Microbiology | Basic Science | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Biotechnology | Special Topics | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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* Mr. Steves provides excellent help in prioritizing your time in Spain and Portugal. I find this activity to be the hardest when planning a trip. How many days in Barcelona, how many in Madrid, etc?

* An incredibly valuable feature of the book, in my opinion, is that Mr. Steves provides a one-page listing of the primary sites in each city, ranking each site from zero to three stars based on how important it is to see each site. While I may not agree on his prioritization, the page makes for a quick checklist while you're walking or waiting for public transportation.

* Mr. Steves is particularly good at recommending out-of-the-way lodging and restaurants that you might not otherwise find in a given place.

* Mr. Steves' book is also very good for budget travelers, providing lodging and dining in every class of service.

* As mentioned in several other reviews, the book is laden with historical factual errors. I won't go into that here.

* In a cutesy manner, many of the maps are handwritten and the street names are omitted. Specifically, if you try to drive around Sevilla using only this book, you will live to regret it.

* Much if not most of the visitor information (hours and days of availability) for tourist sites is wrong. I strongly suggest doing what we did: arriving in a particular town the night before you wish to visit its sites, walking around to see the real hours displayed, then planning your itinerary over dinner.

Some other thoughts, not particularly specific to his book but useful for your trip:

* PORK: Spain is completely obsessed with pork. More or less every menu item has pork on it. Even if it says vegetarian and you ask if it's vegetarian and they assure you it's vegetarian, the odds are pretty high that it'll have a six ounce hunk-o-bacon in it. If you are committed not to eat pork for any reason, seriously consider whether it's worth having to cookies out of a bag for the duration of your trip.

* There are department stores called Corte Ingles scattered around every city in Spain. They have grocery stores and everything else you might need. Knowing where they are is very useful on a long trip.

But the leopard hasn't changed his spots. The architect of Ronda's impressive bridge did not fall off of the bridge to his death while inspecting his work. Spain For Dummies sets the record straight. The discussion of the Spanish Civil War omits the information that Stalin supported and eventually took over the Republican side. Since Steves mentions that Hitler and Mussolini supported the Nationalists, there's no reason for leaving out Stalin's role except that the author doesn't want readers to know. (Perhaps Rick Steves doesn't want readers to know how radical he is; at his web site he suggests that America brought on the terrorist attacks and sympathizes with a suicide bomber.)

Mr. Steves lacks the confidence to summarize history in a straightforward manner and let readers decide for themselves; he never passes up a chance to indoctrinate. For reliable history of the Spanish Civil War see the definitive account by Hugh Thomas, Paul Johnson's summary in Modern Times, or George Orwell's classic, Homage To Catalonia. If you browse through Amazon or your local bookstore you can find many fine books on various aspects of Spanish history.

Fortunately history is only a small part of the book. There is good practical information on hotels, restaurants, sites, local transportation, and travel strategies. For example, Madrid's Hotel Gonzalo is an excellent value near the Prado. If you're in Andalusia budget some time to visit one of the Pueblos Blancos villages, such as Ronda. Tours only make short stops here, but they're worth several days. Wherever you go, look out for pickpockets.

If you're going to Spain or Portugal, this book is an excellent travel resource. But when you read history in a Rick Steves book keep in mind that he's trying to indoctrinate readers to his point of view.

My rating reflects the disappointment that the editors failed to structure the book in a way that fills in the blanks for the reader. As an example, the death of his daughter only triggers a footnote to one of the letters since the event caused a lapse in letter writing between the family during his return visit to Monticello. To find out what had happened, I had to consult other material. This book could be greatly improved if a revised edition would include dialog that would explain the events mentioned in the letters.

He, along with his brother Connor and friends Niko, Dillon, Emily, and Janay, starts his tour at the Washington Monument and explains the two ways to get to the lookout point. After a stop at the reflecting pool, it's off to an exploration of the Lincoln Memorial. Next, a stop at the Jefferson Memorial rounds out the day's excursion. Accompanying text describes the history of each historic place from Casey's unique perspective. The book captures the beauty of Washington in full-color pictures with the help of another of Casey's friends, professional photographer Andrew Linden.

What compelled this enterprising youngster to write a book, other than his love for the nation's capital? "When I decided to write a book, I first thought about having fun and making money," he explains. "But I wondered, 'Then what?' That's when I knew I wanted to help other people with my books too. There are so many children that aren't as lucky as I am." Consequently, a portion of the proceeds from Casey Goes to Washington will go toward Casey's Milk for Madagascar project, which sends dry milk, vitamins, and other items to help children in that country. Casey's future plans include building a guest home where volunteers can come and visit orphans of Betikara, Madagascar. And he hopes some day to raise enough money to build a medical facility for the children there.

A Notable Career covers the highlights of Jefferson's ear political life while The Politician deals with his two terms as President and afterwards. The Memorial tells some interesting tales of the planning and construction of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, including how several Japanese women chained themselves to cherry trees that were to be destroyed to make room for the memorial and the statute of Jefferson by Rudolph Evans showed up four years after the monument was dedicated on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth because of metal rationing during World War II. The final chapter looks at the Words of Jefferson, which makes sense since some of his most memorable words, including a quotation from the Declaration of Independence, are carved around the statue in the memorial.

Consequently, young readers of this book will find it is half about Jefferson and half about the Memorial. I was a bit surprised at this balance after reading the volume in this series on the Lincoln Memorial, however if students pay attention they can make the connections between Jefferson's life and some of the specifics of the memorial. The book is illustrated with some of buildings designed by Jefferson, including his home at Monticello, so you can see the influences on the memorial. What there is to know about the Jefferson Memorial is pretty much in this book, such as the fact the statue looks right at the White House (although there is no explanation for the things behind the feet of Jefferson's statute; the last time I visited the memorial the guide was making a point of asking if anybody knew what they might be and I was hoping the answer would pop up in this book).

Other volumes in this series look at other buildings such as the Alamo and the White House as well as symbols like the Bald Eagle, the Liberty Bell, and the Pledge of Allegiance. There are twenty volumes at this point, which means, given the standard class size in elementary schools throughout the land, that teachers could have students work individually or in pairs and account for all of these American symbols for class posters or reports.

The Monticello family : catalogue of an exhibition held at the University of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, April 12-May 13, 1960

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The Monticello family : catalogue of an exhibition held at the University of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, April 12-May 13, 1960
Inc. Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation
Manufacturer: Charlottesville, Va. : Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GKQIUU

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Workspace/Workscape - CANCELLED
Orietta Fiorenza
Manufacturer: Skira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 8884910056

The rapid evolution of the office environment driven by the new forces of information technology in business made many standards of office design as obsolete as typewriter ribbons. Contemporary designers have not only embraced the dynamics of "the new office," but purposefully designed into their new offices the need for ongoing transformation in the workplace.

These new office design principles coalesce around high concepts of information technology: mobility as style; dynamics over hierarchy; productivity as design, and leads to the ultimate-scale business tool, the "thinking building" that combines environmentally sensitive architecture and information systems.

This group of working designers from a leading Italian office design group, CMR Studio, views the development of the modern office from a historical perspective starting after World War II and track essential work space elements forward to a future where the pace and tools of work will surely continue to demand new office design solutions.

A comprehenive historical overview of industrial design, now available in paperback
As Sir Terence Conran remarks in his foreword to Industrial Design: Reflection of a Century, "Every single thing made by man or woman since the beginning of time has been designed." Up until the nineteenth century, the design of everyday objects was largely the province of skilled craftsmen. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the new possibilities offered by mass production, design emerged as a new and important discipline, with far-reaching social, industrial and commercial implications. This volume provides a comprehensive historical overview of industrial design and an investigation of the key themes and issues that affect production and consumption.

Thirty essays by a team of international specialists trace the development of design, examine current trends and explore the factors which are shaping the course of design in the 21st century. Major currents in design, such as Art Deco, streamlining, the Bauhaus, functionalism, and Post-Modernism are perceptively analysed, along with the implications of technological breakthroughs in fields such as computer-aided design, virtual reality and synthetic materials.

Among the nearly 800 illustrations included in this book, a selection of design classics that have radically changed our lives is featured, from the Singer sewing machine and the Ford model T, to the miniskirt and the Apple Macintosh computer. An extensive illustrated chronology places the major technological inventions and products within the context of the cultural, political and artistic events of their period. Available for the first time in a fully updated paperback edition, this key publication, with its insightful texts, biographical information about designers and extensive visual and historical documents, provides an invaluable reference for design professionals and a fascinating guide for everyone interested in industrial design past, present and future.