Ornamental shrubs of California;: 277 native & introduced ornamental shrubs grown in California

Book Description

Insight Guides, the world's largest visual travel guide series, in association with Discovery Channel, the world's premier source of nonfiction entertainment, provides more insight than ever. From the most popular resort cities to the most exotic villages, Insight Guides capture the unique character of each culture with an insider's perspective. Inside every Insight Guide you'll find: .Evocative, full-colour photography on every page .Cross-referenced, full-colour maps throughout .A brief introduction including a historical timeline .Lively, essays by local writers on the culture, history, and people .Expert evaluations on the sights really worth seeing .Special features spotlighting particular topics of interest .A comprehensive Travel Tips section with listings of the best restaurants, hotels, and attractions, as well as practical information on getting around and advice for travel with children

Customer Reviews:

Good resource!.......2007-05-19

This book is a good resource on Edinburgh, especially considering how few books there are on Edinburgh only. The photos are nice, and the book contains good, useful information! Definitely worth getting if you're planning a trip to Edinburgh!

Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes - 21st Century.......2007-04-16

When RLS journeyed from Glasgow to California in August, 1879, it took him 23 days (see pages 147-51: Selected Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson). When my husband and I journeyed from California to Edinburgh in 2004, it took us 25 hours. The comparison is interesting. I reflect on movement, time, space, distance - "the present sliding over the depth of the past" (see page 98: Moments of Being). That's what makes the journey interesting.

While much research, reading and preparation are involved in any successful "walking tour", the guide which we depended upon the most on our arrival at our destination was this Insight Guide to Edinburgh. For its size and weight (just under 300 pages) this guide can not be beat, containing clear and detailed information on hotels, restaurants, art museums, public parks and gardens, historic sites and buildings, and general travel tips. It is packed full of great color photographs and detailed maps. We were particularly happy with its complete yet concise coverage of this city's vast history and culture (2nd through 21st century), giving us a good introduction to its people and institutions. In the section entitled "Place", the city is broken down into its various environs: Old Town, 1st New Town, Greater New Town, Tenement Landscape, the Waters of Leith, etc. and ample history and background are provided on the development of these various areas of the City as well as detailed maps and tips on navigation. Some of the more evocative discoveries we made by way of this guide were the Waters of Leith Walkway, St. Bernard's Well, St. Cecilia's Hall (housing an extensive collection of early keyboard instruments - see: The Russell Collection and other early keyboard instruments in Saint Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh; and page 58: The Edinburgh Visitor Guide) and the city's "Open Doors Day" which takes place during the last weekend in September and opens the doors to many public buildings for free exploration and adventure.

Again, while one source can not possibly provide the traveler with everything he/she may need or want to know about his/her destination, this guide is as complete and handy a source for on-the spot reference as one is likely to find.Edinburgh Picturesque Notes

Don't listen to that other reviewer.......2004-02-12

300 pages doesn't even BEGIN to cover Edinburgh. This is a place with a history that makes that of any US city look like an appendix. Stop moaning; if you don't want to learn about Edinburgh, buy a different book! Try a more general book on Scotland, for instance. What a ridiculous criticism to make. I lived in Edinburgh for a year and this book was superb in fleshing out details about the significance of different parts of the city, and in pointing out places that even many locals didn;t know about. It left me feeling like I could get a job as a tour guide. That's exactly what I want from a guidebook. If you don't, fair enough, but don't criticize the book for not being a good match for you.

Insight Compact Guide Edinburgh (Insight Compact Guides)

Average customer rating:

Insight Compact Guide Edinburgh (Insight Compact Guides)
Roddy Martine
Manufacturer: Insight Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Insight Pocket Guide | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812348131

Book Description

Insight Compact Guide Edinburgh: This book is packed with useful information, yet finding what you need is simple: A map on the inside fron cover clearly shows the routes suggested in the main text. The routes allow you to follow them right through or pick only the sights that interest you. The star system carefully grades the main attractions: *** an absolute must ** very interesting * well worth seeing Main sights in the city are given numbers in the text to help you to locate them quickly on the maps. Vivid photography makes it easy to identify sights on the spot. Practical Information on travel, food and hotels is placed handily at the end of the book.

Average customer rating:

Good-looking but hard to lug

Edinburgh (Insight Guide Edinburgh)
Insight Guides
Manufacturer: Hungry Minds Inc,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0134705920

Customer Reviews:

Good-looking but hard to lug.......1997-05-19

Insight's City Guides combine stunning photography with literate text and a smattering of basic travel information. The Insight Venice guide is worth adding to your bookshelf, but its practical advice is getting a bit long in the tooth and its heft makes it less than ideal as a take-along guide. - Durant Imboden, Venice for Visitors, http://govenice.miningco.co

Average customer rating:

Edinburgh (Insight Guides)
Sumers
Manufacturer: Jarrold Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0711705569

Edinburgh Insight Compact Guide (Insight Compact Guides)

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Edinburgh Insight Compact Guide (Insight Compact Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812580506

Average customer rating:

Edinburgh Insight Compact Guide (Insight Compact Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9624213569

Average customer rating:

Edinburgh Insight Compact Guide (Insight Compact Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812587780

Edinburgh Insight Guide (Insight Guides)

Average customer rating:

Edinburgh Insight Guide (Insight Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812345795

Average customer rating:

Edinburgh Insight Guide (Insight Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 981234893X

Average customer rating:

Edinburgh (Insight City Guides-Foreign)
Insight Guides Staff
Manufacturer: Langenscheidt Publishers, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LOG7HU

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A response to Yushisan's review

Not to be underestimated!

Author's Comments

A Significant Contribution to the Field

Medieval Sword & Shield: The Combat System of Royal Armouries MS I.33
Paul Wagner , and Stephen Hand
Manufacturer: Chivalry Bookshelf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | Martial Arts | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Fighting with the German Longsword

The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship: A Facsimile & Translation of Europe's Oldest Personal Combat Treatise, Ro Yal Armouries MS I.33 (Royal Armouries Monograph)

The Swordman's Companion: A Manual for Training With the Medieval Longsword

Codex Wallerstein: A Medieval Fighting Book from the Fifteenth Century on the Longsword, Falchion, Dagger, and Wrestling

SPADA II: An Anthology of Swordsmanship

ASIN: 1891448439

Book Description

Medieval Sword & Shield is a fascinating interpretation of the earliest known fighting treatise in Europe, Royal Armouries RA I.33, also published by Chivalry Bookshelf as The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship (ISBN 1891448382).

In Medieval Sword & Shield, Stephen Hand and Paul Wagner decrypt the sword and buckler techniques presented in the color treatise, explaining the concepts that underly the system and providing photographic examples to explain their interpretation to the reader.

This book looks at a unique time in the Western Martial Arts, c. 1290, as the sword and buckler were used for civilian defense on the roads of Europe.

Clearly presented, this book promises to become a classic of Western Martial Arts, of interest to historical fencers, SCA combatants, martial artists, and students of medieval history.

Customer Reviews:

A response to Yushisan's review.......2007-06-18

...Does this "review" have anything at all to do with the book in question? My dear sir, save your musings for the street corner.

Not to be underestimated!.......2007-03-11

Wagner & Hand's interpretation is spot-on in a number of very unexpected ways and although its becoming a bit dated now, its still clearly the best companion book for understanding the I.33 manuscript.

The flaws in the book centre around the interpretation of the footwork. Even they admit that they didn't get the footwork right and published an addendum in SPADA II to correct this. The problem with interpreting the footwork lies in the lack of direction given by the manuscript and the tendency of whoever reads the manuscript to connect it to their own martial arts backgrounds.

I thought that they missed the mark with the footwork because in nearly all their pictures Hand and Wagner have upright stances which lock them into stepping instead of springing - like one does in Olympic Fencing. The typically low stance of Olympic Fencing gives one a lot of spring, and I found that adopting a nearly linear, forward learning stance - as is found in the I.33 illustrations also gives the same thing (a lot of spring). Which is curious because this stance can also be found in the sword & buckler illustrations in the much later fechtbuch by Jorg Wilhalm (whose work they point to on pages 25 & 100 of their book). The fact that two fechtbuch so seperated in time and yet have the same stance should have attracted more of their attention, I feel. If anything, Talhoffer's stance for sword and buckler is more in keeping with what they eventually adopted.

The book also seemed to lack a chapter on "counter-timing" - surely one of the most important principles underlying the art - in particular the "stepping through" and the "shield knock" maneuvers.

But here I am demonstrating my own prejudices. My own perception stems from an assumption that the initial engagement range of a fight is two steps apart - as both fencers agree to negotiate the intervening distance through feint and maneuver in the game of zufechten. Such a style naturally develops the process of feint and counter-time. But Hand & Wagner's interpretation seems to be in keeping with another style. The "wait and see" style of fencer, who perceives fighting distance as one step away by either party. So you stay where you are, allow your opponent to approach, parry his first attack and only then maneuver to take advantage of their newly exposed openings in his defence.

So the question is, what kind of fencer are you? Is this a book which suits your style, or will you have to re-examine their footwork?

Author's Comments.......2005-12-08

Medieval Sword and Shield has been well received, but it is not the final word on medieval swordsmanship or on the I.33 system. Research into historical martial arts is like any other historical research. It is an ongoing process, which calls for open minded honesty, and a willingness to update your findings, even if that means admitting that you got some things wrong.

Since writing Medieval Sword and Shield, I have continued my research on this system. This has led to a number of changes in my interpretation and to some new insights into how the artwork, which lacks any perspective or sense of depth, should best be translated into physical movement. My latest thoughts on the system have been presented in a paper in the anthology Spada II, also published by Chivalry Bookshelf. Students of the I.33 system will find this paper a valuable addition to the book.

In closing, I must disagree with the comment by another reviewer that the use of Di Grassi's 16th century Italian footwork terminology was inappropriate. Di Grassi's footwork is not particularly distinctive. The basic forwards, backwards, angled and circular steps of Di Grassi are used in many other arts and in fact it would be difficult to imagine any sort of fencing system without most of these types of movement. The body mechanics of Di Grassi and the I.33 system are not identical, but that does not change a step forward into something other than a step forward. Di Grassi was unique in the detailed terminology he included to describe footwork, and that is why his terminology has become widely used in the historical fencing community.

Stephen Hand

A Significant Contribution to the Field.......2004-03-29

People interested in European Medieval martial arts have to realize that these systems were kept secret at the time. Medieval manuscripts on fencing were written for a very select audience and are brief, deliberately obscure, and cryptic. It requires a great deal of effort and dedicated study to try to reconstruct personal combat techniques from period sources with any hope of success. Paul Wagner & Stephen Hand have done an excellent job in that regard with their book. Royal Armouries MS I.33 is the oldest illustrated fencing manual in existence and is devoted exclusively to a single weapon system: the arming sword and buckler. Wagner & Hand have studied all the available period sources on this weapon system and combined that with a lot of hands-on trial and error to come up with a complete and plausible interpretation of the system.

The strength of the book from a scholar's view point is the clarity with which they explain what is not being said in the original manuscript. For example, MS I.33 contains no references to footwork. I appreciate authors who do not blurr the line between their own inventions and those techniques clearly grounded in the source. (Readers interested in the source will want Dr. Jeffrey Forgeng's translation and facsimile of the original manuscript titled: The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship.)

The strength of the book from a practitioner's view point is the clarity of the text and photographs. It is a simple matter to work your way through the material following their explanations and illustrations. Given the limited source material, it is only natural that there will be disagreements on interpretation. Mine comes from Wagner & Hand's reliance on 16th-century Italian rapier and dagger sources for their footwork. Admittedly, MS I.33 provides no guidance in this area, but I find 16th-century Italian footwork so distinctive, even compared to other 16th-century styles, that I have reservations about its applicability here.

MS I.33 is an historically important fencing manual and Wagner & Hand have done the European Medieval martial arts community a service by providing a complete and rigorous interpretation. The quality of the presentation reflects their effort and dedication. This book deserves a place on any bookshelf devoted to the subject.

Average customer rating:

A challenging book

Excellent work!

A Beautiful Facsimile

The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship: A Facsimile & Translation of Europe's Oldest Personal Combat Treatise, Ro Yal Armouries MS I.33 (Royal Armouries Monograph)

Manufacturer: Chivalry Bookshelf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Fencing | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Medieval Sword & Shield: The Combat System of Royal Armouries MS I.33

Codex Wallerstein: A Medieval Fighting Book from the Fifteenth Century on the Longsword, Falchion, Dagger, and Wrestling

Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi: 15th Century Swordsmanship of Master Fillipo Vadi

Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword

Fighting with the German Longsword

ASIN: 1891448382

Customer Reviews:

A challenging book.......2007-03-11

I've spent the last 5 weeks pouring over this book and I love it. But I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner. You'll have to learn to visualise guards and counters and run all the various permutations through your head (unless you have a sparring partner) from a set of medieval illustrations with all the usual flaws of perspective that you might expect. Once you start to connect the reality of sword & buckler fighting to the unusual stylistic elements of the drawings, a whole world of insight will be opened up to you.

Before tackling this book, I'd suggest you find out about "invitation", "counter-timing" and "inside and outside lines". I'd suggest you read Guy Windsor's "A Swordsman's Companion" as it has some of the most elegant descriptions of fighting principles I've ever read. And perhaps read some DiGrassi to learn about buckler shadows (if my memory serves me right).

I'd also highly recommend you read Wagner & Hand's interpretation of the I.33 manuscript (Medieval Sword & Shield) at the same time.

Excellent work!.......2004-06-26

I'm biased. I got a copy of Jeffrey Forgeng's translation of the I.33 manuscript (the oldest extant work on swordsmanship)about five years ago and have been working with it ever since. Even so, I was astounded at the beauty and clarity of the lovely colour plates, reproduced here at amazing resolution.

I.33 occupies a special place in fencing history, demonstrating the sophistication of swordsmanship at this early date (1300AD). It shows a marvelous system of sword and buckler play, every bit as subtle as any later fencing system (and why wouldn't it? medieval swordsmen's lives depended on their skill with a sword, so of course their skill was highly developed).

This is an excellent translation of a key work in the history of swordsmanship. It is not a how-to book though an accompanying one exists (Written by Paul Wagner and myself). Anyone interested in western swordsmanship, the history of movement or of teaching methodology, or simply interested in a fine piece of artwork from the late 13th century needs this book on their shelves.

Stephen Hand
Author of Medieval Sword and Shield:
The Combat System of Royal Armouries MS I.33

A Beautiful Facsimile.......2004-03-29

Royal Armouries MS I.33 is the oldest illustrated fencing manual in existence, which makes this book valuable to students of European Medieval martial arts for that reason alone. However, it also has the distinctions of describing an interesting non-military style of fencing, is beautifully illustrated in the style of illuminated religious manuscripts, and depicts priests and women fencers! Because of the 8.5 x 11 glossy, color plates, this book is expensive, but I think it is worth it for the reasons cited above.

The translator, Dr. Jeffrey Forgeng, has been working in the field for decades and his introductory material and footnotes are exhaustive and provide a lot of information on the context of the Medieval German fencing tradition that are not in print anywhere else.

Understand, however, that this is a facsimile and translation of a manuscript, it is not a how-to book on medieval sword fighting. The how-to book on this system is Paul Wagner & Stephen Hand's "Medieval Sword and Shield: The Combat System of Royal Armouries MS I.33" also published by Chivalry Bookshelf.

No serious library of books on European Medieval martial arts is complete without this book.

Average customer rating:
Armeria del Palacio Real de Madrid [Armoury at the Royal Palace in Madrid]
Guillermo Quintana Lacaci
Manufacturer: Editorial Patrimonio Nacional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 8471201194

Product Description

Illustrated guide to the Armoury at the Royal Palace in Madrid, by Guillermo Lacaci, Curator of the Royal Armory (1982-1984). With index, bibliography and glossary. Although title is in Spanish, book is in English.

The Armoury of Windsor Castle, with The Furniture of Windsor Castle. Royal Collection. 2 volumes

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The Armoury of Windsor Castle, with The Furniture of Windsor Castle. Royal Collection. 2 volumes
Guy Francis Laking
Manufacturer: Bradbury Agnew and Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KL7WI2

Bombards: Mons Meg and Her Sisters (Royal Armouries Monograph)

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Bombards: Mons Meg and Her Sisters (Royal Armouries Monograph)
Robert D. Smith , and Ruth Rhynas Brown
Manufacturer: Trustees of the Royal Armouries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0948092092

British Naval Armaments (Royal Armouries Conference Proceedings)

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British Naval Armaments (Royal Armouries Conference Proceedings)

Manufacturer: Trustees of the Royal Armouries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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Gunfounding in the Weald in the Sixteenth Century (Royal Armouries Monograph)

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Gunfounding in the Weald in the Sixteenth Century (Royal Armouries Monograph)
Edmund B. Teesdale
Manufacturer: Trustees of the Royal Armouries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Prince Rupert's Patent Guns (Royal Armouries Monograph)

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Prince Rupert's Patent Guns (Royal Armouries Monograph)
Sarah Barter Bailey
Manufacturer: Trustees of the Royal Armouries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0948092297

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Royal Armouries Fort Nelson

Manufacturer: Trustees of the Royal Armouries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Uniforms | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0948092408

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The Royal Armouries in Leeds
Derek Walker , and Guy Wilson
Manufacturer: Trustees of the Royal Armouries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Cash in on new tax breaks for IRAs, and enjoy the most favorable tax terms ever!

New, more liberal policies for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) make it easier for Americans to accumulate and retain IRA money. The New IRAs clearly explains how to take advantage of new rules and to avoid complicated tax traps.

Customer Reviews:

Saving and planning for a fiscally sound future.......2002-06-07

Written by finance columnist and certified financial planner Neil Downing, The New IRAs And How To Make Them Work For You is a straightforward and highly accessible guide to Individual Retirement Accounts and how to best make use of them in light of recent tax law changes. Individual chapters address how to manage an IRA, what to do when withdrawing from or inheriting an IRA, what a Roth IRA is and how it can serve your needs, and a great deal more. The New IRAs And How To Make Them Work For You is recommended as a first-rate primer written for the non-specialist general reader with an eye toward saving and planning for a fiscally sound future.

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