Product Description

"This book doesn't just promise to change the way you think about sleight of hand and David Copperfield—it will also change the way you think about the mind." —Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide and Proust Was A Neuroscientist

Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde, the founders of the exciting new discipline of neuromagic, have convinced some of the world's greatest magicians to allow scientists to study their techniques for tricking the brain. This book is the result of the authors' yearlong, world-wide exploration of magic and how its principles apply to our behavior. Magic tricks fool us because humans have hardwired processes of attention and awareness that are hackable—a good magician uses your mind's own intrinsic properties against you in a form of mental jujitsu.

Now magic can reveal how our brains work in everyday situations. For instance, if you've ever bought an expensive item you'd sworn you'd never buy, the salesperson was probably a master at creating the "illusion of choice," a core technique of magic. The implications of neuromagic go beyond illuminating our behavior; early research points to new approaches for everything from the diagnosis of autism to marketing techniques and education. Sleights of Mind makes neuroscience fun and accessible by unveiling the key connections between magic and the mind.

Product Description
Of the work and ideas of Daniel J. Martinez, Peter Sellars has said: "He is one of the most important and articulate artists of his generation." This monograph documents projects from 1979-1995, including his controversial and thought-provoking public artworks. His cross-media cultural production is conceptual in its use of language and approach to photography, video, film, sculpture, installations, and performance. Writings by David Levi Strauss, Coco Fusco, Mary Jane Jacob, and Susan Otto. ... Read more

Product Description
As with the bestselling first edition, Computational Statistics Handbook with MATLAB^®, Second Edition covers some of the most commonly used contemporary techniques in computational statistics. With a strong, practical focus on implementing the methods, the authors include algorithmic descriptions of the procedures as well as examples that illustrate the use of the algorithms in data analysis. Updated for MATLAB^® R2007a and the Statistics Toolbox, Version 6.0, this edition incorporates many additional computational statistics topics.

New to the Second Edition

•          New functions for multivariate normal and multivariate t distributions

•          Updated information on the new MATLAB functionality for univariate and bivariate histograms, glyphs, and parallel coordinate plots

•          New content on independent component analysis, nonlinear dimensionality reduction, and multidimensional scaling

•          New topics on linear classifiers, quadratic classifiers, and voting methods, such as bagging, boosting, and random forests

•          More methods for unsupervised learning, including model-based clustering and techniques for assessing the results of clustering

•          A new chapter on parametric models that covers spline regression models, logistic regression, and generalized linear models

•          Expanded information on smoothers, such as bin smoothing, running mean and line smoothers, and smoothing splines

With numerous problems and suggestions for further reading, this accessible text facilitates an understanding of computational statistics concepts and how they are employed in data analysis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

One of the most important books
This book is amazing. It covers so many important computations using Matlab, including probability density estimation, supervised learning, parametric/non-parametric models as well as Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods.
The negative reviews are from people who were looking for something else in this book. As it stands this is one outstanding book and one of the few books I keep permanently on my desk (I own over 200 books). Credit to the writers for the amount of detail especially in the code (no mistakes found yet).

Falls flat
I was initially excited about this title. It seemed like an opportunity to develop some advanced techniques and learn them interactively with Matlab. Unfortuantely, I was disappointed upon reading the book.The topics themselves are not developed well by the authors and the Matlab examples are way too simple for them to be of any use or for the reader to gain insight.The material itself is somewhat eclectic, but for the price/value I just can't see it. A determinted researcher could find the same thing for free on the internet.

Great hands on hanbook
Up to the point - great to have on the shelf for quick consultations. It makes a great textbook to be complemented with specialized papers on the different topics. A must have for anyone doing computational Statistics in Matlab. "Exploratory Data Analysis with MATLAB" by Wendy L. Martinez, Angel R. Martinez is a great follow up volume to this book.

Good Book for me...
There were a lot of negative comments for this book on Amazon so I sort of held off the purchase ofthis book. However, last week I ordered the book and quickly realised it is very useful. The book may lack detailed theory but excellent references are scattered throughout if you really want to follow it up. And the book is easy reading and well written with most statistical concepts defined before they are used.

The focus of this book primarily is to explain how to work on statistics using Matlab and it provides a taste of various areas with adequate explanations and code to get started. One advantage of this book is they do not define their own notation but use the notation which is currently in vogue in academia.

If you are starting out in Matlab, are not a statistician and do not have previous experience with other packages (like Splus or R) you should definetly think about getting a copy. If you are a StatsGuru you can just read the toolbox documentation. However note that these authors provide their additional stats toolbox FREE (which is also well written) on the website which contains most of Matlab statistical functions so you could save yourself some money on the Stats toolbox.

sloppy writing
I ordered this book assuming to get something useful, but i got the impression while reading the book that it is like a collection of notes from other books, wrapped with some matlab code. More worrying to me was that the mathematics makes a sloppy impression. For me that means I cannot grab the book to lookup something and use the code without having to be concerned on the validity. The bottomline being I will not use it for applications and the book is a waste of money. ... Read more

Product Description

For courses in undergraduate Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Education

With an emphasis on inquiry and process, Teaching Mathematics in Elementary and Middle School  embraces active mathematics instruction and the development of mathematical thinking through problem solving.  The text challenges future teachers to prepare their K-8 students for a world that requires a higher level of mathematical literacy and enables them to compete in a global society. Teachers will develop their own mathematical abilities allowing them to help students discover a rich combination of thinking processes and problem-solving strategies, raising the learning expectations for all.

Product Description
The U.S.-Mexican border is one of the most permeable boundaries in the world, breached daily by Mexicans in search of work. Thousands die crossing the line and those who reach "the other side" are branded illegals, undocumented and unprotected. Crossing Over puts a human face on the phenomenon, following the exodus of the Chávez clan, an extended Mexican family who lost three sons in a tragic border accident. Martínez follows the migrants' progress from their small southern Mexican town of Cherán to California, Wisconsin, and Missouri where far from joining the melting pot, Martínez argues, the seven million migrants in the U.S. are creating a new culture that will alter both Mexico and the United States as the two countries come increasingly to resemble each other.
Amazon.com Review
Not since Ted Conover's Coyotes has a book revealed the underground culture of illegal immigration from Mexico as well as Crossing Over by Rubén Martínez. This up-and-coming author writes of what he calls "a Mexican Manifest Destiny" that continually pierces the southern borderline of the United States--a "line [that] is still more an idea than a reality." Martínez begins with the awful story of the three Chávez brothers, all killed when a truck carrying them and some two dozen other illegal aliens tried to outrace border patrol agents and flipped. Martínez learns of their fate and travels to their peasant hometown in southern Mexico to distil the motives of migrants. Then he follows the rest of the family north as they fan into the United States. Crossing Over is written in the first person and is highly anecdotal, but Martínez constantly makes observations that break free from these narrow confines. "Mexicans have always had an uncanny instinct for finding the soft spots of the American labor economy," he notes at one point, explaining how it is that millions of poor people who barely speak English can thrive, in their way, north of the border. Crossing Over is an outstanding book, and required reading for anyone interested in Hispanics and the new America. --John Miller ... Read more

Customer Reviews (66)

This is an excellent read for adults, especially with the historical backdrop the author provides
Ruben Martinez's engaging and authoritative account of the Chavez family's struggle to live in Cheran, Mexico and work in the U.S. illustrates how the long-time U.S. message "We have jobs for you" has changed to "We have jobs for you, but you'll have more trouble getting across the line." Three Chavez brothers were killed as victims in a high-speed chase crossing the border. Martinez followed migrant workers to California, Arkansas and even Norwalk, Wisconsin where he found the Enriquez family working the night shift in a meatpacking plant.Martinez, whose grandfather came to the U.S. as a field hand, brings the readers right into small village life in Southern Mexico--through the treacherous border crossings and into the toxic fields where migrants toil.This is an excellent read for adults, especially with the historical backdrop the author provides.

A real eye opener
I purchased "Crossing Over" for a southwest history class and read it cover to cover in one weekend. It was an excellent and easy read but it certainly did open my eyes to the struggle of those living below the border. Although I will never agree with illegal border crossings, at least I now have a better idea as to why it happens; what drives so many to risk their lives and leave their families in search of a better life.

Crossing Over
A very sad story of just one of so many Mexican families struggling to survive between Mexico and America. This book will keep you reading until you finish. An incredible story of incredible people. Much of the book I read to my two teenage sons, for a better appreciation of their life as American born young men.

The border is closer than you think...
In fact, Ruben Martinez argues that it's more of a legal fiction than a division that clearly separates one culture from another.The boundary between the U.S. and Mexico is better thought of as a permeable membrane which allows cross-over from both directions.North American culture passes south of the border to influence the values and lifestyles of Mexicans--even remote Indian ones such as the folks in the small southern town of Cheran whom Martinez tracks.Similarly, Mexican culture passes north of the border to influence the values and lifestyles of gringos.It's this reciprocal migration that's the real story of Crossing Over.

One of the best features of this book is that Martinez takes us deep into Mexico to live in the village of Cheran so that we can get to know the families who will later cross the border in their own element.He helps us see them as people rather than stereotypes, complete with all their warts and blemishes but also with quite lovable traits:Wense, the young family man who seems to live in a state of constant indecision; Rosa, his wife, who shows surprising strength and independence; Anita, who has a vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Watsonville, California; the Chavez family, who cope with a migration tragedy that sets Martinez on the trip that ended in this book; and an assortment of tough-guy cholos who dress in oversized polyester and mystical brujas who combine paganism and Catholicism in colorful and unself-conscious ways.

But even in their own element south of the border, the Mexicans Martinez comes to know have ingested gringo aspirations that are frequently in conflict with indigenous traditions,Likewise, once they migrate north, white bread commuities in West Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, and elsewhere find themselves acclimating and being influenced by the new brown presence.Borders are permeable.Borders are fictional.Especially in a global economy, cultures inevitably intermingle.At one point in the book, Martinez stands on the fictional line separating the U.S. and Mexico and gleefully hops back and forth across it.This is a nice encapsulation of Crossing Over's larger message.

We moved to Mexico ...
We got sick to death of Bush et all and left. Moved to Mexico and are having a house built here. Will never live back in the US again. So we were wondering why people of Mexico would want to risk death getting there - it's for the money. The earlier book "Coyote" is also very good. ... Read more

Product Description

A betrayed wife and dedicated mother suddenly forced to raise her six-month-old daughter alone, Melanie Vargas is also an ambitious, hard-working professional who has had to bite and claw for recognition in the federal prosecutor's office. Then, while strolling with her baby girl on a steamy New York night, Melanie stumbles onto the kind of high-profile case that could make a career: the burning townhouse of a wealthy former prosecutor, its owner's tortured, murdered corpse smoldering within. Melanie Vargas wants this chance -- she needs it -- and she'll do whatever it takes to get it.

Customer Reviews (40)

GREAT mystery!This author is really flying below the radar!
I find so many legal/murder thrillers unrealistic, but this one was really great! I felt like I understood the prosecutor, and I was not able to guess the ending, which is always nice.I am going to do my best to plug Ms. Martinez' books -- I have now purchased them all on Amazon, and I will donate them to my local public library when I am done, so that more people can discovery this latina suspense writer.I don't want to spoil the fun, but if you like Lisa Scottoline, you will love this!

VERY surprised!
I absolutely loved this book!! I've read them all....romances, thrillers, suspense, you name it..so I figured this book would be the same formula....boy meets girl, girl gets in trouble, boy saves girl. NOT at all!! I LOVED the main character and I love the idea that she is a strong woman who can take care of problems herself. I think what really clinched it for me was that the author was an attorney that also worked for the D.A.'s office so I felt that what she was writing could even be factual to a certain extent. I'm on my way to buying all her other books. I just need to read them in the right order. I can't wait!

Lot of potential, but not quite there yet...
I would definitely give this book a strong 3 stars.Meaning that it was not great, but certainly not horrible either.I have read some of the other "lesser" reviews of the book and I agree that the story was kind of awkward as it was caught between solving a crime, divorce, new love, but it never quite had a smooth blend.The transition between those plot points weren't always the smoothest.

Probably my biggest problem with the book was Ms. Martinez's effort to have the ethnic characters speak ebonics.For example "He shut the phone and smash it hard against the wall. (bleeping) worm, telling him how to do his thing, saying he ain't take care of business.He take care of business, all right."Trust me, this is probably one of the kindest examples because the others had too much profanity for me to type.Most of the dialogue written for the ethnic characters sounded like they had more of speech impediment or were mentally handicapped as opposed to the fact they were talking slang.The editor or somebody should have caught it because it was horrible to say the least.

On to better notes, the book had a lot of potential and I did wonder what was in store for the characters after I completed the book, so I would certainly read the next book in the series.The book was a pretty easy read and there was very little fluff, so she did a pretty good job of keeping the story lean without unneeded extras (I just wish the parts there meshed better.)I would give the book a recommendation to anyone who was looking for a change of pace from the typical male-based cop/law based drama.

'Most Wanted' - by whom????
This book was reminiscent of those 'made-for-tv' movies of the late 80s - early 90s. Eek. Can we say predictable??? The romantic developement between the main characters was so blech... I mean, how many times wasDan going to say ADMIRINGLY to Melanie 'You're one tough cookie" after she's articulated another bad idea or after she'd indulged in her favourite pastime of incessant whining???

The plot was terrible. Slice's narration was particulary awful. Mz Martinez should've stuck to inserting bits of spanish dialogue in order to break up the monotony and left off trying to write 'street'. It was incredibly bad. I am stunned at the glowing reviews it's received here. Maybe they're talking about another book altogether????

Sorry Mz Vargas, I'll bypass reading any more of your heroine's 'derring-do's'....

A nice debut, congrats!
Most Wanted by Nancy MartinezI didn't fall in love with the characters as much as I would have liked especially the protagonist Melanie, but I did like the way the author brought out the lead character's Hispanic culture, language and the yummy foods.The protagonist is a mom, a wife, a potential lover, a lawyer, and what really spoke volumes is her knowledge of the law as she worked the case. It wasn't that much of a mystery to me, but I was glad when things worked out, somewhat, at the end of the day. The good, bad and questionable sides of the characters makes this a good read.Congratulations on your debut novel. ... Read more

Product Description
"We're everywhere, and it's time to come out of the closet: I speak of the tongue-tied generation, buyers of books with titles like Master Spanish in Ten Minutes a Day while You Nap. . . . We grew up listening to the language--usually in the kitchens of extended family--but we answered back mostly in English."

Demetria Martínez wields her trademark blend of humor and irony to give voice to her own "tongue-tied generation" in this notable series of essays, revealing her deeply personal views of the world. Martínez breaks down the barriers between prayer and action, between the border denizen and the citizen of the world, and between patriarchal religion and the Divine Mother. She explores her identity as a woman who has within her the "blood of the conquered and the conqueror," and who must daily contend with yet a third world--white America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Four Star Review
The star tab isn't working for me, so my last few reviews note the number of stars. This book is a collection of prose and poetry from Martinez. For the most part it's provocative and at times hilarious. Some of the pieces are more serious and thoughtful.

My favorite excerpt is the one where she explains how Latinos choose to self-identify in the US: Chicana/o, Latina/o, Mexican, Mexican-American or Hispanic. And, with each category she says more. This two - three page section had me smiling.

The book's audience are those who fit the above demographics and others interested in discussions of race, sexuality, and feminism. The author is a published author of a few books of poetry and is/was a reporter for a Catholic newspaper. ... Read more

Product Description
In her second collection of poems, Valerie Martínez takes on not only such familiar themes as love and loss, family, and culture but also the creative act of poetry itself. World to World crosses new boundaries to chart a mature poet's awareness of her own voice and style. ... Read more

Product Description
Gerhard Graf-Martinez is a passionate flamenco guitarist and teacher. The wealth of his knowledge is captured in this two-volume work, which also reflects valuable experience gained from his activities as a tutor at national and international seminars and workshops. This is an excellent self-study course that includes many photographs, some to illustrate techniques, others of guitars, guitarists, etc. Self-contained chapters cover all basic techniques plus compas, palmas, nail care, and an overview of current guitarists, guitar makers, construction and sound of Flamenco guitars, etc. Volume 2 includes info on: Posture * The Sound of the Flamenco Guitar * Gingerlabelling * Rasgueo * One-Finger-Rasgueo * 3-Finger-Rasgueo * 4-Finger-Rasgueo * Continuing Rasgueo * Pulgar * Pulgar and ima-Downstroke * Pulgar and Rasgueo * Remate * Pulgar-Downstroke * Ayudado * Golpe * Golpeador * i- and p-Downstroke with Golpe * m-Golpe with Downstroke * The Rumba-Stroke * Tresillos * a-m-i-p-Rasgueo * Guitarra Flamenca * Guitarreros * Guitarreros actual * La Cejilla * Guitarristas actual * Unas * Palmas * Compas * Modo Dorico * Glossary, and more. Please note: The CD included with volume 1 (HL49008401) contains all the pieces and musical examples for volumes 1 and 2. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Flamenco guitarist
This is a wonderfull tool in learning flamenco. It is very easy to understand and Gerhard has a great sense to as of how to produce a learning enviroment. I looked through a lot of dvd`s and most dont pay attention to the sync. between audio and video. This master does and it helps greatly in the observation part of the technique. I began using his two books about 5 years ago and bought the dvd editions for my dvd libary.
I only play Flamenco and rumba flamenco.
Enjoy

Good, but not adequate on its own
PRESENTATION

The comments on presentation I made in my review of Volume 1 of this Method apply equally well to Volume 2, so I shall not repeat them.

CONTENT

The preliminary explanation of signs is missing from Volume 2.I presume that anyone buying Volume 2 is expected to have obtained the other first -- which is borne out by the fact that the examples for both volumes are contained on the CD that comes with Volume 1.

Techniques addressed include arpeggios, tremolo, picado and alzapúa.As before, the coverage is detailed and thorough; in particular, Lucía's technique of playing picado from the middle joint of the finger (rather than the large joint) is described: "If it is played differently -- it's just not Flamenco".Ah, well.

The music is supplied throughout in both staff notation, and tablature with time values.I did find a few fairly self-evident misprints, e.g. the arrow directions in the Alzapúa III exercise (p.59) are wrong, although correct in the previous one.Triplet is once confused with triad (p.57).

The sole place I found the text confusing was in the description of bulerías rhythm (p.39).To quote:

"Many players count

1·2·3·4·5·6·7·8·9·10·11·12

[Accents on beats 3-6-8-10-12: no easy way to represent this in straight ASCII (PM)]

which you will also find in most guitar methods.Someone invented this way of counting a long time ago, and many others just copied it without questioning it.It is not really wrong, but it isn't the best way either, because on the one hand, most coplas and falsetas don't start on the 1 [...]It is much easier to start on the accented 12 and to notate the whole the whole thing with alternating time signatures."

This gives the impression that the stated way of counting was invented by some long-forgotten flamenco loony; but of course, it is, and as far as anyone knows has always been, the standard and logical way of counting soleares.The explanation given obscures the vital connection between the two rhythms.

In point of fact, it is bulerías that were invented by a loony -- specifically, by the 19th-century singer El Loco Mateo (according to legend), as a way of finishing his soleares.

It may indeed be "much easier to start on the accented 12".But the example in the book labels beat 12 as beat 1, which I have never heard a flamenco do.I've found it useful to tell people that they should regard the numbers as the names of the beats, so that beat 12 is still beat 12 even if it is first.(The author does indeed switch back to conventional numbering later).

It's true, too, that "most coplas and falsetas don't start on the 1", but some do: and some start on beat nine-and-a-half!

In short, while it may be best on balance to notate starting on beat 12, the rationale given is suspect, and it has disadvantages as well as advantages.

The book continues with full-fledged versions of soleá, alegrías, bulerías, tarantas and tangos.They have the advantage of being attractive and very flamenco-sounding, but still within reach of students with only moderate technique.Next there is a catalogue of styles, including some pretty obscure ones, with a few brief musical examples.Finally, there is a short history of Flamenco, from antiquity to the present day, and a bibliography.The history is well-written and not just a regurgitation of other accounts; although I was a trifle startled to learn (p.122) that:

"The Thirty Years' War, the Spanish wars of succession, the War of Independence started by Napoleon, the Civil war under FRANCOand the transition to democracy in 1976 were of no cultural importance, compared with the former history of the country."

SUMMARY

As previously mentioned, the English throughout both books is generally very good, the use of German-style quotation marks being trivial.However, there may well be those interested in Flamenco -- especially classical guitarists -- who as yet speak no Spanish, and so I feel obliged to quibble over the use of Spanish terms where accepted English ones exist: in particular, the consistent use of Spanish note-names, and terms like modo dórico for Phrygian mode.

This said, the author's explanations, both visual and textual, are very clear.However, I have several reservations about what is not explained.What they boil down to is that this is, by itself, nowhere near an adequate flamenco guitar method.The omissions are understandable: the size and price would be quadrupled if all the relevant material were to be described in the same detail.

If the title were "Modern Flamenco Guitar Technique", then these two books and DVDs would fulfill their function very admirably, and on that basis I recommend them. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Academic discussion of contemporary views of Charles Eastman
This book is an academic discussion of Charles Eastman and the views of him and his legacy by various American Indian intellectuals and students.This book is directed at readers who have extensive knowledge of the writings and thoughts of Indian intellectuals and a thorough grounding in Indian history, society, and culture from the Indian perspective.The author, an assistant professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona at Tempe, includes many personal observations he has made of students and others to Eastman and his efforts to improve their opinions of him.

I found some the best parts of the book to be the extensive, explanatory endnotes that commence at page 167.

Although the book is by an academic written for academics, it is blessedly devoid of the pedantry, arrogance, and snobbery one too often finds in similar publications.

... Read more

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Product Description
Poetry.Winner of the Four Way Books Levis Poetry Prize. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Pretty deep stuff
If you want to settle in and read poetry that is provocative, intelligent, and vivid--poetry that keeps you thinking, this is the book. ... Read more

Product Description
Recounts the inspiring story of the young seventeenth-century Mexican girl who, forbidden a formal education and opposed by the Spanish Inquisition, became one of Mexico's greatest writers and thinkers. ... Read more

Product Description
In Matt Makes a Run for the Border, Matt leaves the cushyconfines of his Dallas home and heads north, south, east, and west,exploring the hearty cuisine and local dishes created in the regionsbordering the Lone Star state.The result is a collection ofmouth-watering recipes that have their roots in the Southwest but areprepared in the classic style of Tex-Mex cuisine that Matt has made sofamous over the years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

1st reviewer is Colloquial
These ingredients are easily available by calling (512)367-5875. The NY State Game Commission might be able to expedite delivery. What ? You are so indebted that you can't afford a phone call to order the ingredients for your dinner ? Mabe you should call Dominoes, or Pizza Hut. For the rest of us, this cookbook offers real insight into Matt's culinary adventurism, and is highly reccommended.

Exceptional
Without equal, the best Tex-Mex cookbook available.Want to completely blow-away your guests at a dinner party? This would be the roadmap. From Tex-Mex staples like rice and refried beans to the exotic like chili rellenos. Also included are recipes for outstanding barbecue spice rubs and the best chicken fried steak ever.Roy Ashley

Recipes Right on Target
I've never used a book that produced meals that get more compliments from my Dallasite friends or Houston in-laws (and that's no easy feat as they are Tex-Mex experts). Matt's recipes are much simpler than those I've tried from other cookbooks while producing the same or superior results without having to soak chilies, grind them in a blender, etc. I may have to tweak flavorings some (hence 4 stars instead of 5) but the techniques and overall results can't be beat. As to how many recipes a person will use from any given cookbook ... well, in Dallas we eat a lot of this kind of food and I consider the money well spent.

Some good recipes; but book is somewhat pricey.
Even though Tex-Mex food is on every nutrionist's "Index of Forbidden Cuisines," I love the stuff. I ordered this book prepared to like it; and,overall, I'm glad I've got it. For one thing, nearly every item listed in the recipes can be found in my local grocery store located in a town of 8,000 souls in the Northeast.

So, what are my reservations? Though the recipes it contains can expand your waistline, it is rather slender in scope. For myself there are about ten recipes that I would fix at home. If you are not on a restricted budget, buying this book may not be an issue. If you have to be careful with your bucks, then think carefully before placing this item in your shopping cart. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

More literary than thrilling
A well written mystery relies as much on the language as it does the clues.That's why it's tricky to translate one and why it's necessary to read such a translation with a generous heart.The Oxford Murders is a five star read but the mystery rates about a three.

The Oxford of Martinez' unnamed protagonist is an interesting place and the suspense created by a serial killer who announces each murder with a note containing a puzzle is nice. Snippets of information about the history of mathematics add some meat to the plot, and though I figured out whodunnit pretty early on, the book is so beautifully written finishing it was a pleasure.

Well-developed characters with a variety of secrets, a first person POV that is unusually perceptive, and a leisurely pace make this book stand out from the usual murder-in-an-academic-setting of say, Amanda Cross or Joan Hess.

Christmas gift
I ordered this book shortly before Christmas for my grandma. It arrived fast and was in great condition. It made a great and easy gift.

Interesting
Though some of the explanations of mathematical problems were well over my head, I found the book quite readable and interesting.I also enjoyed a pleasant feeling of competence when I figured out the principle behind the series that is shown on the cover all by myself; probably laughably easy to some, but everything is relative, yes?The identity of the murderer was not at all obvious to me; nor were the other surprises along the way.I found the entire thing intriguing and was entertained throughout.

Pages missing
There were a couple of pages missing. I dont know why people would want to get pages from this book. The story wasnt very thrilling. Kind of a kids' book of puzzle with a little sex thrown in.

schizoid mystery
This is a schizoid mystery. If youl;ike feeling claustrophobic, go for it. Other wise, skip it. ... Read more

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Product Description
A long overdue monograph on Alfredo Ramos Martinez, celebrated Mexican painter and muralist, considered by many to be the "Father of Mexican modern art." Hardbound and slip-cased with 218 color plates. Limited edition of 3000. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Mexican master is fully revealed
Another Latin American master has, finally, been given his due. Alfredo Ramos Martinez & Modernismo gives us the most complete picture to date of this important Mexican artist. Margarita Nieto and Louis Stern (Marie Chambers, ed.) have written concisely about Ramos' life and art and have presented their research in an elegant bilingual format filled with richly printed images of the work. The modernist sans-serif type font ('Ela') makes reading a pleasure, and the comprehensive Bibliography invites further research. Even the earth-tone covers and slipcase of this handsome publication are designed to remind us that however avant-garde was Ramos' artistic method, his font of inspiration sprang from the soil of Mexico and from the nobility of its native inhabitants.

At one point the authors invite us to compare Ramos' work with that of Gauguin. Laying aside, as best one can, the layers of cultural myths surrounding Gauguin's adventurous achievement, this new publication presents the indians, campesinos and vendedoras of Mexico standing tall with their better-known Tahitian counterparts in a grace and serenity we can now acknowledge as being of equal stature.
... Read more