Books:
Text Books:
Europe
Condensed Knowledge: A Deliciously Irreverent Guide to Feeling Smart Again
by Will Pearson, Mangesh Hattikudur, and Elizabeth Hunt
List Price: $14.95
Available from Amazon
$9.72
On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page
Chicago Tribune
"For the discerning intellect, Mental Floss cleans out the cobwebs."
Newsweek
"A lot like that professor of your who peppered his tests with raunchy jokes: it makes learning fun."
|
The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number
by Mario Livio
List Price: $14.95
Available from Amazon
$9.72
On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page
From Publishers Weekly
Most readers will have at least dim memories from geometry class of the irrational number pi. Theoretical astrophysicist Livio gives pi's overlooked cousin phi its due with this lively account, the first on the subject written for the layperson. Phi is the golden ratio of antiquity (1.6180339887), a never-ending number so lauded for its harmonious qualities that in the 16th century it was dubbed the divine proportion. It is related to phenomena as diverse as the petal arrangements of roses, the breeding patterns of rabbits and the shape of our galaxy. Phi is also claimed to have been crucial in the design of the Great Pyramids, the composition of the Mona Lisa and the construction of Stradivarius violins. Livio (The Accelerating Universe) carefully investigates these and other claims and does not hesitate to debunk myths perpetuated by overzealous enthusiasts he calls "Golden Numberists." This is an engaging history of mathematics as well, addressing such perennial questions as the geometric basis of aesthetic pleasure and the nature of mathematical objects. Useful diagrams and handsome illustrations of works under discussion are amply provided. Livio is gifted with an accessible, entertaining style: one typical chapter bounds within five pages from an extended discourse on prime numbers to a clever Oscar Wilde quote about beauty to an amusing anecdote about Samuel Beckett and finally to an eminently clear explanation of G"del's incompleteness theorem. With a guide to the history of ideas as impassioned as Livio, even the math-phobic can experience the shock and pleasure of scientific discovery. This thoroughly enjoyable work vividly demonstrates to the general reader that, as Galileo put it, the universe is, indeed, written in the language of mathematics.
Copyright 2002 Reed business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Take something as simple as a line segment and mark it at just the right place. Looking at it with a mathematician's eye, an interesting relationship appears: the ratio between the whole line and the larger of the pieces it was broken into is the same as the ratio of the larger piece and smaller piece. Better known as "the golden ratio" or phi, 1.618- is a number that has fascinated humans for several hundred years, and people have claimed evidence of phi in all manner of things. Livio takes readers on a treasure hunt for phi from ancient times through the present. On the way, he debunks a number of popular myths (e.g., the notion that Mondrian used it in his abstract paintings) and does a wonderful job explaining the Fibonacci sequence and its relationship to phi. Small, black-and-white photos and reproductions demonstrate items mentioned in the text. While it may seem that the author wanders in his expositions, his excursions into history and number games add fun and depth for those who wish to follow. To get the most out of The Golden Ratio, it is best to have an understanding of algebra and basic trigonometry, although the book is great for general readers who don't mind working a little to gain a lot of understanding.
Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
|
Europe: A History
by Norman Davies
List Price: $25.95
Available from Amazon
$16.35
On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page
Product Review
With Europe: A History, University of London professor Norman Davies has undertaken the near impossible: a synthetic one-volume overview of Europe from prehistory through the present. Remarkably, he has succeeded. Europe: A History is a conventional narrative, proceeding forward in time at a gradually decelerating pace. (The beginning covers millions of years of prehistory, while the final chapter discusses the 46 years between World War II and the book's publication.) But Davies's writing--vigorous, incisive, and confidently knowledgeable--carries the reader along, while the steady sweep of the main narrative is broken up by "capsules," boxed passages examining particular places, customs, or issues that cut across chronological lines. Davies, who has written two books on Polish history, also gives the eastern part of Europe its due coverage, unlike many of his predecessors, and manages to include commoners and the persecuted or ignored in his story along with the mighty and the royal. Europe: A History won't please everybody, but it's a highly intelligent, superbly readable overview that is certain to become a standard text.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
The pre-eminent scholar of Polish history, Davies (God's Playground and Heart of Europe) expands his focus to all of Europe. While the book is bulky, its size is hardly adequate to a complete history of the continent from pre-history to the dismantling of the Soviet Union. In addition, as one might expect, Davies has taken great pains to treat countries other than England, France and Germany as legitimate parts of Europe?not just as the thresholds over which barbarians crossed. ("For some reason it has been the fashion among some historians to minimize the impact of the Magyars," Davies writes when discussing what would become central Europe. "All this means is that the Magyars did not reach Cambridge.") The book works because his subject is not the constituent countries but the continent as a whole. Thus, while Elizabeth I gets one brief mention in passing, Aristide Briand, the French foreign minister who tried to effect a Franco-German reconciliation until the Nazis won power, gets several paragraphs. Aside from defining what Europe is and giving all countries their due, Davies also tries to show the joys of an inclusive reading of historical subjects (he disparages excessive specialization and writes admiringly of the Annales school). A master of broad-brushstroke synthesis, Davies navigates through the larger historical currents with the detail necessary to a well-written engaging narrative.
Copyright 1996 Reed business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
|
Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (Cambridge Language Teaching Library)
by Jack C. Richards and Theodore S. Rodgers
Available from Amazon
$27.00
On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page
Book Description
This new edition surveys the major approaches and methods in language teaching. The paperback second edition is an extensive revision of the first edition of this successful text. Like the first edition, it surveys the major approaches and methods in language teaching, such as grammar translation, audiolingualism, communicative language teaching, and the natural approach. The text examines each approach and method in terms of its theory of language and language learning, goals, syllabus, teaching activities, teacher and learner roles, materials, and classroom techniques. In addition to the approaches and methods covered in the first edition, this edition includes new chapters on topics such as whole language, multiple intelligences, neurolinguistic programming, competency-based language teaching, cooperative language learning, content-based instruction, task-based language teaching, and the Post-Methods Era. Teachers and teachers-in-training will discover that this second edition is a comprehensive survey and analysis of the major and minor teaching methods used around the world. The book seeks not only to clarify the assumptions behind these methods and their similarities and differences, but also to help teachers explore their own beliefs and practices in language teaching.
Download Description
This second edition is an extensive revision of the first edition of this successful text. Like the first edition, the second edition surveys the major approaches and methods in language teaching, such as grammar translation, audiolingualism, communicative language teaching, and the natural approach. The text examines each approach and method in terms of its theory of language and language learning, goals, syllabus, teaching activities, teacher and learner roles, materials, and classroom techniques.In addition to the approaches and methods covered in the first edition, this edition includes new chapters, such as whole language, multiple intelligences, neurolinguistic programming, competency-based language teaching, cooperative language learning, content-based instruction, task-based language teaching, and The Post-Methods Era.Teachers and teachers-in-training will discover that this second edition is a comprehensive survey and analysis of the major and minor teaching methods used around the world. The book seeks not only to clarify the assumptions behind these methods and their similarities and differences, but also to help teachers explore their own beliefs and practices in language teaching.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
|
Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order
by Robert Kagan
List Price: $18.00
Available from Amazon
$11.70
On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page
Product Review
From its opening-line salvo—"It is time to stop pretending that Europeans and Americans share a common view of the world, or even that they occupy the same world"—Of Paradise and Power announces a new phase in the relationship between the United States and Europe. Robert Kagan begins this illuminating essay by laying out the general differences as he sees them: the U.S. is quicker to use military force, less patient with diplomacy, and more willing to coerce (or bribe) other nations in order to get a desired result. Europe, on the other hand, places greater emphasis on diplomacy, takes a much longer view of history and problem solving, and has greater faith in international law and cooperation. Kagan does not view these differences as the result of innate national character, but as a time-honored historical reality--the U.S. is merely behaving like the powerful nation it is, just as the great European nations once did when they ruled the world. Now, Europe must act multilaterally because it has no choice. The "UN Security Council is a substitute for the power they lack," he writes. Kagan also emphasizes the inherent ironies present in the relationship. European nations have enjoyed an "American security guarantee" for nearly 60 years, allowing them to cut back on defense spending while criticizing the U.S. for not doing the same. Yet Europe relies upon the U.S. for protection. This has led America and Europe to view the same threats much differently, as evidenced by the split over how to deal with Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Kagan points out that some European leaders are more afraid of how the U.S. will wield its power in the Middle East than they are of the thought of Hussein or other "rogue state" leaders acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Kagan’s brevity is as impressive as it is appreciated; most writers would have required thrice as many pages to get to their point. At any length, the book is nothing short of brilliant. This is essential reading for those seeking to understand the post-Cold War world. --Shawn Carkonen
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Cogent and important best describe this slim book, its lack of vast pages belying the weightiness of its message. This is an expanded version of an essay originally published as "Power and Weakness" in the June/July 2002 issue of Policy Review, written by the senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who is also a columnist for the Washington Post. The article created such a stir that a book-length expansion proved necessary for a wider readership. Tight, rigorous reasoning stands behind Kagan's cold analysis of the growing disparity between U.S and European views of the post-cold war world and how best to achieve peace and order. The lack of agreement is based primarily on opposing beliefs concerning the "proper balance between the use of force and the use of diplomacy in international affairs." Europe, as Kagan points out, is economically strong but militarily weak, while the U.S. is strong on both fronts. How to settle the world's problems is seen very differently, then, depending on whether one is negotiating from strength or from weakness. Further, the author avers that American military power has "made it possible for Europeans to believe that [military] power [is] no longer important." Controversial arguments, certainly, but this book deserves to be read by all conscientious citizens. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
|
Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe 2006 (Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe)
by Rick Steves and Cameron Hewitt
List Price: $21.95
Available from Amazon
$14.27
On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page
Book Description
Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers where to ride an Austrian mountain luge or visit the 3,000-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti in Berlin? With Rick Steves’ Best of Eastern Europe 2006, travelers can experience Rick's favorite destinations in Eastern Europe, including Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Ljubljana, and Dubrovnik — economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, Rick Steves’ Best of Eastern Europe 2006 includes opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights; friendly places to eat and sleep; suggested day plans; walking tours and trip itineraries; clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot; and Rick’s newest "back door" discoveries. America’s #1 authority on travel to Europe, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.
|
Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2006 (Rick Steves)
by Rick Steves
Available from Amazon
$24.95
On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page
Book Description
Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers the best way to visit Etruscan caves in Central Italy's hill towns, shop for cheeses in Avignon's open-air market, or catch an accordion performance on Amsterdam's city streets? With Rick Steves’ Best of Europe 2006, travelers can experience the best of everything Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland have to offer—economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, Rick Steves’ Best of Europe 2006 includes opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights; friendly places to eat and sleep; suggested day plans; walking tours and trip itineraries; clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot; and Rick’s newest "back door" discoveries. America’s #1 authority on travel to Europe, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.
|
Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2006: The Travel Skills Handbook (Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door)
by Rick Steves
List Price: $21.95
Available from Amazon
$14.27
On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page
Book Description
From train and rail pass skills to strategies for visiting open-air folk museums, who else but Rick Steves can teach travelers the skills they really need when traveling through Europe? Learn how to deal with all of the small details of planning a trip to Europe with Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2006. America's number one authority on travel to Europe, Rick Steves has done the legwork, discovered the secrets, and made the mistakes — so travelers don't have to. Completely revised and updated, Rick's time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience. Rick's travel tips include: sticking to a budget; smart packing; planning ahead for visiting major sites; personal safety; avoiding tourist traps; and finding Europe's "back door" attractions. Smart advice is also offered on everything from social etiquette to booking a hotel and ordering food. Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2006 is an essential item on any European traveler's checklist.
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
A European adventure is a major investment of time and money. Read the first page
Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
(learn more)
travel speccs, official hostels, international calling cards, independent hostels, good guidebook, flash drive, solo travel, travel partner, initial zero
Capitalized Phrases (CAPs):
(learn more)
Rick Steves, United States, Eastern Europe, Cinque Terre, New York, Romantic Road, Western Europe, Czech Republic, Great Britain, European Union, Lonely Planet, Graffiti Wall, World War, Amalfi Coast, British Isles, Swiss Alps, Lake District, Eiffel Tower, American Express, Arc de Triomphe, Dingle Peninsula, King Ludwig, Hostelling International, Lake Como, Middle Ages
New!
Books on Related Topics
|
Concordance
|
Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Customers interested in this title may also be interested in:Sponsored Links: What is this?
Oh My God!
You Haven't Heard of SkyAuction?
Bid for the Best Deals on Vacations
SkyAuction.com
Feedback
What do customers ultimately buy after viewing items like this?
|
Customers tagged this product with
|
|
Search Products Tagged with
|
|
|
Additional Pages: 1 2 3
© Adapt, Inc. 1998-2006
|
Other Shops:
American States,
Atlases,
Art,
Art Techniques,
Audio Books,
Authors,
Biographies,
Business,
Celebrities,
Children's,
Cities,
Computers,
Cookbooks,
Countries,
Dictionaries,
En Español,
Encyclopedias,
History,
Horror,
Large Print,
Law,
Medical,
Mystery,
Photographers,
Photography Techniques,
Powell's Selections,
Presidents,
Research,
Romance,
Sci-Fi,
Study Guides,
Subjects,
Techical,
Teenagers,
Textbooks,
Travel
Books
Resources
Most Watched Book Auctions
Europe at Sduf
Book Review Directory
Reviewed Authors
Reviewed Titles
Review List
Site Map
|
based on 9 Reviews. (Write a Review.)
