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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Murray & Cochrane in 1803 in 549 pages; Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / General; Biography & Autobiography / Medical; Medical / Surgery / General; Political Science / Public Policy / Social Services & Welfare; ... Read more

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Gregory was a Massachusetts-born farmer and seedsman. He taught agricultural techniques and introduced the first cherry tomato. ... Read more

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Studies show the variety of religious experience in the later middle ages, and the profound changes in religious and ethical expression over the larger medieval period, focusing largely on Chaucer's religious poetry and Piers Plowman. There are also articles on medieval devotional writing, satire, Old English religious poetry, and early 16th-century religious and moralising works. ... Read more

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Colloquial Cantonese is easy to use and completely up-to-date!

Specially written by an experienced teacher for self-study or class use, the course offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Cantonese. No prior knowledge of the language is required.

What makes Colloquial Cantonese your best choice in personal language learning?

• Interactive – lots of exercises for regular practice.
• Clear – concise grammar notes.
• Practical – useful vocabulary and pronunciation guide.
• Complete – including answer key and reference section.

Whether you're a business traveller, or about to take up a daring challenge in adventure tourism, you may be studying to teach or even looking forward to a holiday – if you'd like to get up and running with Cantonese this rewarding course will take you from complete beginner to confidently putting your language skills to use in a wide range of everyday situations.

Two 60-minute CDs or MP3s are available to purchase separately. Recorded by native speakers, these complement the book and will help develop your listening and pronunciation skills.

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Written for the general reader with an interest in geology, natural history, and the early explorations of the highest part of California s Sierra Nevada range, this book is also an indispensable guide for visitors to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and adjacent areas. Maps, photographs, and geologic guides help visitors understand the formation of the awesome natural features before them. The region was one of the last parts of the United States to be explored, and it was only during the Civil War that the first scientific party attempted a reconnaissance map of the region. They discovered, in the process, that it included the highest mountain then in the United States, Mount Whitney. The book describes the arduous travels of the early explorers, including John C. Fremont and John Muir, and weaves the history of exploration together with modern geologic concepts to show the early naturalists contributions to geologic thought. Throughout, all terms that may be unfamiliar to non-geologists are simply and succinctly defined, and the book is richly punctuated with anecdotes, tales, myths, and biographical sketches of colorful characters associated with the region. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A somewhat narrow defintion of exploring
The author of Exploring the Highest Sierra first backpacked across Sequoia National Park, via Mt. Whitney, in 1947. He went on to earn a PhD in geology with his research based on the geologic structure of the highest Sierra - the crest from Mt. Langley on the south through the Palisades region to the north that includes all of the Sierra's 14,000' peaks and a sea of other high mountains, lakes and meadows - and then had a long, successful career as a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. He clearly loves and is highly expert about this mountain range, the highest in the 48 coterminous United States, and the surrounding Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park.

My personal experience in this region consists of three backpacking trips - including peak bagging and off trail travel - that totaled perhaps three weeks within the so-called Highest Sierra.I looked forward to reading this 427-page book, which has very wide margins and lots of blank space, in hopes of not just learning more about it but to get ideas and inspirations for additional "explorations" of the area on my own. Unfortunately the book turned out to be less than I hoped for.

Nearly a third of the pages are devoted to chapters about the original Euro-American exploration and mapping of the region, especially the 1860s-90s work of the California Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey and its predecessors. Apart from the detailed coverage of progressively more accurate mapping efforts over the years, most of the characters - Whitney, King, Hoffman, Muir, etc. - are well know to anyone who is generally familiar with the 19th Century exploration of the Sierra (all of them explored and mapped the Yosemite region and elsewhere in the Sierra). These chapters have a lot of interesting photographs of the explorers, their equipment and so forth that I haven't seen elsewhere.

The remaining chapters are mostly hard core geology.And much of it is very technical to the lay reader.There are a lot of aerial photographs originally taken to document the region for mapping or geologic research, detailed photographs of rock strata and structures and numerous textbook-type graphs and charts of geologic phenomenon.A typical exhibit (6.21 in the 54-page chapter titled Granitic Rocks) consists of a set of eight graphs - admittedly incomprehensible to me - that plot the occurrence of silica (SiO2) against eight different chemicals found in hundreds of rock samples throughout the region's mountains. There are dozens of similar charts, graphs and scattergrams.I have to rate a lot of this information as either inaccessible or simply technical overkill for the non-geologist.It's far more detailed than most non-geologist visitors to the region will ever want to know.

This author's idea of an "exploration" of the highest Sierra is almost exclusively geologists and geology. There is virtually nothing about plants, animals, lakes, weather, wildfire, etc., etc. And nary a description of a mountaintop sunrise, a flowery meadow or any of the other charms that still make "exploring" this region so attractive to hikers, riders, climbers and skiers today.

Recommended to anyone seeking an overview of 19th Century geologic study and mapping along with a textbook on the geologic phenomenon - especially rock structure and chemistry - of the highest portion of the south-central Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Not recommended for those who want a generalized natural history overview of the region or want ideas and inspiration for planning their own trips into the high country of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.I note that most of the other reviewers of this book who rate it higher than I do seem to be professional geologists.And although Amazon does not seem to be stocking this, it can be found at the Yosemite Association's online bookstore.

One to Keep and Refer to For the Rest of Your Life
James Moore has compiled a fantastic account of the earliest history, exploration, mapping, mining, politics and geology of the Seqouia - Kings Canyon National Parks area. This book, more so than any other that I have read on the Sierra, provides insights into the people, the origin of geographic names and the forces and interests that drove the people into the high Sierra region. A fascinating look at the barometric and surveying tools that were lugged to the top of the highest peaks is given and a historical account of the ever increasing accuracy of the maps and just how close the original estimates were. True to his profession, Moore then goes into an in-depth discussion of the current understanding of the geologic history of the region. This discussion will be a great interest to those with a casual to serious interest in geology and will provide a greater awareness for your next trip into the area. It held me, a retired geologist, captive and will remain on my shelf as one of my most treasured references.

A successor to Francois Matthes
Moore's book is the result of a lifetime spent studying and mapping the geologic structures of the Sierra. It is an incredible achievement and an important contribution to a detailed understanding of the geology of the Sierra for the amateur naturalist. As literature and science, it's a worthy successor to Matthes's Geologic History of the Yosemite Valley (USGS Prof. Paper #160). He includes terrific chapters on the work of the first scientists to study the range and then describes current knowledge about the creation of the Sierra: from the collision of tectonic plates to the retreat of the last glaciers.

As an added bonus, Moore includes an appendix with detailed geologic comments for stopping points along several roads and trails in the Sequoia-Kings area: Highway 180 from Clovis to Cedar Grove; Highway 198 from Visalia and over the Generals Highway; the Mineral King road; the High Sierra Trail from Lodgepole to it's intersection with the John Muir Trail near Mt. Whitney; and, the John Muir Trail from Mt. Whitney to where it leaves Kings Canyon in the Evolution Valley region, 100 miles north.

Although Moore concentrates his narrative mostly to the area of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (where, as luck would have it, I work as a ranger), anyone interested in the geology of the Sierra would find this book useful for its explanation of the major granitic and metamorphic structures we see throughout the range. It's large format makes it unlikely you'd want to slip it into your backpack as a field guide. It's also probably of interest only to the serious amateur, though I think it's photos and organization make it accessible to a beginner who might just want to skim some of the detailed sections.

If you're interested in the Sierra Nevadas, this is for you!
This is an excellent book!The geology portion is easily understandable for the layman, yet still interesting enough for the professional geologist.The great historical and geological infromation make this a wonderful resource for anyone spending any time in the Sierra Nevadas.If you have any interest in geology and history, and you intend to spend any time in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, then you really Need this book!

Disorganized, non-visual, but good anecdotes
I'm a graduate student in geophysics.Some may argue that a geophysicist has no license to criticise a geologist or vice versa, but here goes nothing. :)

Moore begins with an interesting anecdotal account of the early mapping and exploration of the high Sierra.I found this interesting, but then again, I had not read much of this history previously.There are certainly other historical texts out there, so the question to ask yourself is: are there better ones?I don't know the answer.

Before I knew it, the book had morphed into what I took for a geology textbook.A bit too esoteric to be considered general-interest, but certainly not written for a Ph.D. geologist.It smelled an awful lot like an introductory undergraduate geology text, and I've read others that are much more lucid than this one.

Perhaps my biggest disappointment was the photography.Lacking, to say the least.Since Moore's historical coverage ceases before the advent of modern photography, I suppose this is understandable.

In closing: I wasn't quite sure what this text aspired to.As a historical text, I'd say that it was worth the paperback price.As a geology text, I don't think it was worth much.As a photography book, it was worth even less. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: J.B. Lippincott company in 1903 in 516 pages; Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Medical; Literary Collections / American / General; Literary Criticism / General; Literary Criticism / American / General; Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Literary Criticism / Reference; Medical / Physicians; Reference / Bibliographies & Indexes; ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Fatal Attraction meets The Usual Suspects in this dazzling thriller about a businessman whose life becomes a nightmare when he gets involved with the wrong woman. When an English teacher at Attica State Prison asks his incarcerated students to write about why they're in prison, he is astounded by the story of Charles Schine. Schine is a white, upper middle-class ad exec who meets Lucinda, a married woman, on the Long Island Railroad. Sharing pictures of their kids soon leads to a rendezvous in a sordid downtown hotel. But before they actually enter the room, they are held up by a man who rapes Lucinda, assults Charles, and steals both their wallets. He then proceeds to blackmail them. Desperate, Charles hires someone to eliminate him-but it's the hitman who ends up dead. In a world where no one is who they seem to be, Charles sinks deeper into a labyrinth of deceit, murder, and betrayal. And in a final act of stunning retribution, it's clear why Charles is in Attica-and what he's come to do there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (179)

Sets a new standard for BAD
I rarely stop reading a book. I got 1/4 of the way through it before I did; I should have stopped sooner.

The dialogue is flat and unconvincing; it's unlikely they would have anything to do with each other. The plot is shallow and not believable from the beginning. For example, he takes a beautiful woman he'd like to impress to a seedy hotel; would any guy in lust and with money and do that? I wouldn't. The description of the assault on them is graphic and depressing. Their reactions and actions in response are depressing. The book is depressing, not thrilling.

I wish I'd read the negative reviews before I started reading. I can't understand why there are any, much less so many, positive reviews.

a good read
This was a very good book.I liked this book by James Siegel.The plot was good also.Mystery fans will enjoy this book.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

predictable and cliche bore
By the time I reached page 20 I could predict exactly what happened.Besides some minor plot twists, you could clearly see what was coming.The characters were immature and undeveloped, as was the story line.And all of that could have been forgiven except...

Mr. Siegel is the most self-absorbed author I've ever read.Every few chapters a sentence would be thrown in that basically stated: "I'm such an awesome writer I'll bet you didn't even see that coming!" or "I've really got you on the edge of your seat now, don't I?"Give me a break.You're not all that and a bag of chips, Mr. Siegal.Quit writing, for the love of God, please quit writing!

Don't Understand The Good Reviews
I didn't buy this but picked it up at the library -- thankfully. I imagine I would've been pretty upset if I'd actually paid money for this book. It is in a word terrible. I honestly don't understand the abundance of good reviews here.

I think the main problem is with the characters, the main character especially. All the characters are cardboard cutouts at best. The protagonist is an absolute moron. It's very difficult to believe anyone would make the wrong choice over and over and over unless he had a brain injury or latent suicidal tendencies. Consequently, the protagonist isn't sympathetic in the least. It's sort of like social Darwinism in action: If you're that weak and stupid things aren't going to go well.

The villain is as pathetic as the protagonist -- a walking cliche, a caricature scary Hispanic. He's over simplified to the point of absurdity. He's a walking personification of evil, only he's so poorly drawn he delivers sighs of exasperation rather than scares.

The story is so predictable I'd figured it out pages into the novel. Don't waste your time on this one. If you want actual suspense, and characters that aren't complete imbeciles, try a Lee Child, Lawrence Block, James W. Hall. Nearly anything but this.

Far superior to the movie based on it.
James Siegel, Derailed (Warner, 2003)

I saw the 2005 film version of Derailed a while back, and was unimpressed, to put it kindly. When a friend of mine lent me this novel a couple of months ago, I didn't put two and two together until reading the jacket copy. Of course, I assumed the book would be better, since they almost always are, and dove in anyway.

Charles Schine is an ad executive whose life is going along swimmingly until one fateful week when everything seems to go wrong. He loses the firm's biggest account, for one thing. But what really sends his life spiraling out of control is meeting a beautiful woman one morning when he misses the train. They're attracted to one another, despite both being married, but the stumbling beginnings of an affair are interrupted by a nasty mugging that turns into blackmail. But that's only the beginning...

While the book is most certainly better than the movie, it does break one of the main rules of thriller-writing; there are things that are obvious chance that get woven into the story as if they were planned by the bad guys. There's one painfully obvious place this happens close to the beginning, and it soured a lot of the book for me. Still, Siegel is a very good writer when he's not strangling the conventions of the genre in ways that many have tried and no one has succeeded. He book is well-paced and well-plotted, and the characters are much better drawn here than they are in the film version.

Even if you didn't like the movie, the book is worth checking out. Give it a shot. ***
... Read more

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Linux is a fast-growing operating system with power and appeal, and enterprises worldwide are quickly adopting the system to utilize its benefits. But as with all operating systems, performance problems do occur causing system administrators to scramble into action. Finally, there is a complete reference for troubleshooting Linux--quickly! Linux Troubleshooting for System Administrators and Power Users is THE book for locating and solving problems and maintaining high performance in Red Hat(R) Linux and Novell(R) SUSE(R) Linux systems. This book not only teaches you how to troubleshoot Linux, it shows you how the system works--so you can attack any problem at its root. Should you reinstall if Linux does not boot? Or can you save time by troubleshooting the problem? Can you enhance performance when Linux hangs or runs slowly? Can you overcome problems with printing or accessing a network? This book provides easy-to-follow examples and an extensive look at the tools, commands, and scripts that make Linux run properly.*A troubleshooting guide for all Linux users: Focuses on common problems with start-up, printing, login, the network, security, and more *Restore Linux when boot, startup, or shutdown fails--and reinstall Linux properly when all troubleshooting fails *Explains how to use some of the most popular Linux performance tools, including top, sar, vmstat, iostat, and free *Handle storage problems and CPU slamming to ensure high Linux performance *Solve hardware device problems by deciphering error messages and using the lspci tool *Use backup/recover commands and tape libraries to create proper backups *Identify and correct remote and network printing problems using spooler commandsGone are the days of searching online for solutions that are out of date and unreliable. Whether you are a system admin, developer, or user, this book is an invaluable resource for ensuring that Linux runs smoothly, efficiently, and securely. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best of practical Troubleshooting methods for everyday use
[Review: digested version]


--- DISCLAIMER: This is a requested review by PTR, however any opinions expressed within the review are my personal ones. ---


The book Linux Troubleshooting for System Administrators and Power Users from Kirkland,
Carmichael and the Tinker brothers tackles many issues a typcial system admin / level one
or two support staff will face at the daily work.

As such it does provide many solutions and method overviews on how to troubleshoot well
reoccuring problems. It differs from other troubleshooting books in that it delivers solutions which
help you maintain sound, smooth running system configurations within your company network
and allows you to see the bigger picture rather than just offering fix "A" for problem "A" etc....

Each chapter is self contained and explains first a general overview and background about
the technologies used and the related OS processes. It then deepens into the most common
problems and makes suggestions how to troubleshoot those issues.
Finally each chapter follows up with typically 3-4 troubleshoot hunting scenarios, where
the reader can exercise and extend the learned knowledge.

The authors do provide distinct scenarios and extensions to the most useful commands and
system tweaks. Basically the value of the book is that Kirkland, Carmichael and the
Tinker brothers deliver proven troubleshooting methods to cut the chase and maintain a
coherent system. And here is where the book really lives.


>> A more detailed (very long) review can be found by deploying my profile. << ... Read more

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