Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

excellent picture book biography of a rock legend
At first glance, Jimi Hendrix, who tragically died at age 27 from a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol, may seem like an unlikely subject for a picture book.But Golio, an artist and musician himself as well as an author, manages to bring to life Jimi as a young boy and his unique way of looking at the world.What we might think of as ordinary sounds took on extraordinary colors to this musically gifted young boy."A child was laughing, squealing like a clarinet on one of Dad's big band records," writes Golio.Music of all kinds set off "fireworks in his mind," and he begs for a guitar of his own.With his guitar, he could make a "rainbow of sounds," and with these visual analogies, Golio explains how Hendrix taught his guitar to make unconventional sounds, using it "as an artist uses paint."

Golio's text is set off by extraordinary collage illustrations by Javaka Steptoe which evoke the psychedelic colors and shapes of the 1960's.The illustrations with their wild colors (i.e. Hendrix painted completely in shades of purple and blue) and varied textures suggest the rainbow of sounds produced by Hendrix' guitar.

Jimi has already received starred reviews in Kirkus and School Library Journal and would be a great purchase for libraries as well as parents who would like to share one of rock's legends with their children. ... Read more

Product Description
Any Star Wars fan can mimic Darth Vader's voice or Chewbacca's roar with ease. But how many of them would be able to identify the lion's roar used in the sound of the Millenium Falcon's engine? In this aurally astonishing and visually engaging book, New York Times best-selling author J. W. Rinzler reveals the illuminating history of the sounds that make the Star Wars universe so believable, as recounted by their creator, legendary sound designer Ben Burtt. An attached sound module with an exterior speaker and headphone jack lets readers listen to more than 250 unique sound effects, and more than 300 photographs illustrate the epic s many memorable scenes. From the first films to the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, The Sounds of Star Wars is Star Wars as you've never heard it before. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Enjoying sounds
Nice book with a fancy sound device.
Well written and very affordable for a non technical people.
It is funny to hear al those Star Wars sounds just reading how were created.

Very good price /quality ratio.
Enjoy

Hermes from Barcelona, Spain

Coolest Star Wars Book
Who can forget all the sounds created in the Star Wars Saga... and now, a book not only illustrates the sound effects but also allows the reader to hear them!!!This hardcover book is full of interesting facts and information on how Lucasfilm developed all of the unforgetable sounds, from the flash of the lightsaber to the sound of the Rebel ion cannon!!!Once you get a hand on this book its almost impossible to put it down...the pictures that illustrate the souns are fantastic and the binding for such a large book is impressive!!!If you love Star Wars, you will love this book!

Great work !
The combination of the text with the real sounds is just amazing. So many of the sounds that I just took for granted as a little kid because they were part of Star Wars are explained here and it is a great.
A lot about the movies was already explained in depth and this work makes it more complete.
Highly recommended to everyone that wants to know about how Star Wars was made !

Did you ever wonder how they made the rancor roar?
I saw a preview of this book at Celebration 5 in Florida. Ben Burtt was there, telling stories on how the sounds came to be. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in sound effects and how they can influence a movie. I have had more fun reading the book and playing the sounds. You do not have to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy this book.

Absolutely Amazing
Being a fan of sound effects myself, though nowhere near to that of Ben Burtt, this book is great.I've always wondered what was done to make a specific creature voice or laser blast or spaceship engine sound, etc. in the various Star Wars films.This fascinating book covers them all, with the actual sounds to hear along with the information.My only complain would be that the sound unit on the side is a bit big.I can tell that 50% of the interior is probably air.Being that memory chips and electronics can be quite small these days, there was no need to make the unit so large, or as heavy.As for the book itself, it is a massive treasure trove of background information on all of the Star Wars movies to date.Any sound effect used in them is covered in detail with various pictures either from the films or behind-the-scenes shots pertaining to the sound.If you are a Star Wars or even just interested in sound effects in general, this is a must-have book. ... Read more

Product Description
In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her uncommon encounter with a Neohelix albolabris --a common woodland snail.

While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater under standing of her own confined place in the world.

Intrigued by the snail's molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and mysterious courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, providing a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal. 

Told with wit and grace, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world illuminates our own human existence and provides an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

even my husband enjoyed it!
My husband and I rarely read the same books...what interests me does not interest him and vice versa. However, I thought that he might be intrigued by the biologic descriptions of the snail so I recommended it to him. Yes, Elisabeth Tova Bailey did the almost impossible! She bridged the gender gap of reading in our home. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a beautiful book, both in its sentiment and its physical presentation. The pencil drawings of the snail are engaging. This is a perfect holiday present for almost anyone - I highly recommend it.

Snail Power
I loved this book. I bought it because my world has also became smaller from an illness. Ms Bailey took me into her world and made my world better. Her snail was phenomenal, and I had no idea these small creatures were so interesting. Now when I go outside I make sure I'm not stepping on any, ours in Texas are itty bitty so they are hard to see. If we had larger snails I would make one a pet also.
It almost gets a 5star. If she put herself more into the book, I would have given a perfect 5. It gets a little snail encyclopedia feeling in the middle, but gets back on track for a smooth finish.

Elevating & Enriching Tale of a Lady & Her Snail
This beautiful little book with it's light and illuminating touch is surprising, elevating, endearing. Her experience from within the limitations caused by severe illness, her mindful and appreciative observations of her tiny snail companion, and the amazingly varied and detailed harvest of her research on snails..from haiku to obscure scientific texts are interwovenseamlessly and enchantingly. It is witness in its elegance and simplicity to her indelible life affirming spirit.It's notabout her ilness or her struggle with it ( which in iteslf says volumes about her) and at its heart, not really about her beloved little snail and his/her species ( snails are hermaphroditic we learn). At its heart it is about living in mindul presence to life, to all sentient beings in wonder and celebration.Thank you Beth.

A new time zone
As human doings going this way and that, talking on this phone or that, buying this item or that, driving here and there; we miss that which is the essence of living life. We are blinded to the miracles that surround us and support us while we are trudging this earthly walk.

Because of a disease, the author is forced to transition from a busy human-doing into a human-being who witnesses the miracles of life while experiencing a debilitating disease. She travels into a different time zone where she is able to slow down and appreciate the strength and busy activities of a wild snail that has found its way onto her table side.

Bailey's observations from this alternate time zone provide insight into what might be the answer to our cultural disease of distraction and busyness. She demonstrates that living this life, whatever our circumstances, can be joyful and full of gratitude. Acceptance of our circumstances we cannot change is the key to serenity. The temporary changes in our activities and self beliefs we must be willing to make in order to live through difficulties carry the solutions to our current problem. We learnsomething new and then come out stronger for the experience.

Though her life is full of physical imperfection, her heart and soul are fulfilled and serene. The author takes what she is able and lives a glorious, if not perfect life while she recovers from a long-term chronic illness.

And after all, doesn't life throw each of us some kind of curve ball every once in a while? The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a great example of a human being making the best of a sad situation and still finding gratitude in the opportunity to witness the miracles that surround us.

Truly interesting and inspiring
It was on a trip to the Alps that Elisabeth Tova Bailey first felt weak and ill.Not really being concerned, she continued her explorations but in a day or two she found it difficult to move at all let alone get out of bed.Somehow she manages to return home to Maine but she continues to spiral downward.In very short order, Bailey is flat on her back, laid low by some exotic micro-germ.

That is how The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating opens.Like other reviewers I want to warn you that this isn't a tell all expose about her illness.Bailey mentions it in passing only occasionally and never does it become the center of the book.In stead, the star of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is just that, a small snail.

A visitor to Ms Bailey finds a wild snail in the woods near her house.With a visit to the stricken author the objective, the she picks up the snail and also digs up some near by violets which she pots.The visitor deposits both with the author and is on her way.

It is from humble serendipities that often reveal true magic to us if we are patient.Bailey keeps the snail and in very short order becomes captivated with its comings and goings.Initially the snail lives under the foliage of the violet and explores the surroundings, in and out of the clay pot, at night.Eventually the snail is moved to a terrarium.Observing the snail daily, Elisabeth Bailey becomes curious about behaviors she is witnessing.She gathers an impressive array of resources with which to read about mollusks in general and snails specifically.It is this learning and study that we are allowed to share.If you're curious, check out the sources she sites at the end of the book.

I've seen hundreds of terrestrial snails in my life time and to be honest I never paid a lot of attention to them.That is my loss.I found Bailey's descriptions of the life of a snail fascinating.Reading her descriptions is not like reading a dry tome filled with interesting but busy facts about snails.She does share the information she learns, but wrapped up in her explanations is a wonder that comes through loud and clear.Her almost child like wonder at sharing what she's learned infects the reader with the same awe and surprise that she experienced.

I won't spoil the experience of reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating.Trust me, this is a book you'll probably want to add to your personal library and will certainly want to recommend to your friends.

I highly recommend.

Peace to all.
... Read more

Product Description
First published in 1929, Faulkner created his "heart's darling," the beautiful and tragic Caddy Compson, whose story Faulkner told through separate monologues by her three brothers--the idiot Benjy, the neurotic suicidal Quentin and the monstrous Jason.Amazon.com Review
The ostensible subject of The Sound and the Fury is the dissolutionof the Compsons, one of those august old Mississippi families that fell on hard times and wild eccentricity after the Civil War. But in fact what WilliamFaulkner is really after in his legendary novel is the kaleidoscope ofconsciousness--the overwrought mind caught in the act of thought. His rich,dark, scandal-ridden story of squandered fortune, incest (in thought if not in deed), madness, congenitalbrain damage, theft, illegitimacy, and stoic endurance is told in theinterior voices of three Compson brothers: first Benjy, the "idiot" man-child who blurs together three decades of inchoate sensations as he stalks thefringes of the family's former pasture; next Quentin, torturing himselfbrilliantly, obsessively over Caddy's lost virginity and his own failure torecover the family's honor as he wanders around the seedy fringes ofBoston; and finally Jason, heartless, shrewd, sneaking, nursing a perpetualsense of injury and outrage against his outrageous family.

If Benjy's section is the most daringly experimental, Jason's is the most harrowing. "Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say," he begins, lacinginto Caddy's illegitimate daughter, and then proceeds to hurl mud at blacks,Jews, his sacred Compson ancestors, his glamorous, promiscuous sister, his doomed brother Quentin, his ailing mother, and the long-suffering black servant Dilseywho holds the family together by sheer force of character.

Notoriously "difficult," The Sound and the Fury is actually one of Faulkner's more accessible works once you get past the abrupt, unannounced time shifts--and certainly the most powerful emotionally. Everything is here: the complex equilibrium of pre-civil rights race relations; the conflict between Yankee capitalism and Southern agrarian values; ameditation on time, consciousness, and Western philosophy. And all of it is renderedin prose so gorgeous it can take your breath away. Here, for instance, Quentinrecalls an autumnal encounter back home with the old black possum hunter Uncle Louis:

And we'd sit in the dry leaves that whispered a little with the slow respiration of our waiting and with the slow breathing of the earth and thewindless October, the rank smell of the lantern fouling the brittle air, listening to the dogs and to the echo of Louis' voice dying away.He neverraised it, yet on a still night we have heard it from our front porch. When he called the dogs in he sounded just like the horn he carried slung on hisshoulder and never used, but clearer, mellower, as though his voice were a part of darkness and silence, coiling out of it, coiling into it again.WhoOoooo.WhoOoooo.WhoOooooooooooooooo.

Customer Reviews (218)

The original dysfunctional modern American family narrative
Of all the novels that I have read, The Sound and the Fury is closest to what I would consider to be my personal favorite. It is a very complex novel that is not for those who want a quick read, but it is a very rewarding reading experience that will not soon leave you. Despite its complexity, this novel proves to be one of the greatest and most poignant exercises in character development I have read. The reason that this novel is difficult is that it attempts to convey the nuances of human consciousness, just as James Joyce did with Ulysses; however, this novel is much more accessible than Ulysses. This novel is ultimately an examination of human perspective. Each of the novel's first person narrators has limitations in perspective: Benjy is mentally handicapped and possesses no concept of time, Quentin is highly neurotic and depressive, and Jason's vision is clouded by his indignation, with the specter of their sister (the memorable, individualistic Caddy Compson) serving as their shared obsession.

This novel, like many of Faulkner's works, is interested in the indomitablenature of the past in one's life. These characters are all haunted by their memories and nostalgia, finding it impossible to escape. As this is true in some sense for most people, the reader will be able to identify with this harrowing concept. Through all the novel's pathos, Faulkner's dark sense of humor shines through. One receives much with this novel: an excellent experimentation in narrative, a highly memorable cast of characters, a haunting modern tragedy, and a novel that is often very funny. This is one of those novels that reveals more and rewards with each rereading. It has become a clichéd expression at this point, but when I come back to this novel, I feel as though I am returning to friends.

BORING AND CONFUSING
I enjoy reading just about anything, so I figured I would give Faulkner a try. Somehow, I had managed to escape reading this one all the way through college and in book clubs with my friends.Other reviewers have basically laid out the plot and characters, but to me the chapters with the Benjy section, then Quentin, then Jason, followed by Caddy (whom I enjoyed) were boring and never-ending. Caddy "searches for the truth and reality of any situation."I must confess that I didn't understand a lot of the symbolism in the novel, nor I did care to or worry about the whole thing. So I went to Cliffs Notes for some help (don't tell the college literature professors), to speed up the painful process. Maybe in another 30-40 years, I'll try another Faulkner novel. Jason's "success in life is due to the fact that he feels no love for anyone..." which was similar to how I felt about this book. No love, fellow readers.

Please
I enjoy reading the masters and their classic books.But anybook that I have to stop reading so that I can reference the internet to understand what is happening is no classic in my opinion.This was my first Faulkner book, and if the rest are written anything like this, it will be my last.You just shouldn't need to have a college professor explaining a book to you to be able to enjoy it.Most people reviews I've read say the first chapter is the hardest.But I found myself reading through most of the second chapter as fast as I could just to try to get past it also.If I wasn't so intent on reading all the great classics, I would have put this book down after the first half hour of reading and never picked it back up.

Not his Best
I loved As I Lay Dying and his other works. The stream of consciousness narration and time shifts don't bother me. The fact that several charachters have the same name is fine as is the unsympathetic nature of some of the characters. He uses dialect more skillfully than any other author. In his other books he uses these techniques to create vivid imagery of the south and of his characters.

My problem was that to me, the story itself is unmomentous as the title would have you believe. For example, following a man on his last day of life was a great concept but Faulkner doesn't make you like him before that nor does he give him much motivation to commit the deed (I'm trying to avoid using spoilers). Benjy is great and the first chapter told much of the story, but it was downhill after that. Caddy was the most sympathetic character to me, but she is judged as immoral (in the context of that period in time, but still). After putting the effort into reading to the end I was angry that this was all there was to it after all the hype.

Faulkner's presentation of human interpretation of time was perhaps the best aspect of the book. If life is sound and fury told by an idiot signifying nothing where was the sound and fury in the story?

intense reading experience
My review is mostly for my fellow frustrated but aspiring Faulker readers who, like me, have unsuccesfully tried to read this book multiple times. I finally gave in and sought help through various study guide resources, and I must say that I was not only able to read and understand but also enjoy and appreciate the important place of this book in the American literautre.It was not easy--particularly the first chapter which is most disorienting.I read the first chapter 3 times--first read, then read with the study guide and read again.Once I got used to the format, and to some characters or things that can be indicators of time frame, and by the 2nd chapter, it was relatively easy to follow the story line, and then I was able to really enjoy the mastery of the author.So if you feel annoyed in the beginning, like I was, hang in there, you will feel annoyed and amazed later, then eventually amazed. (I hope) I felt that every character, everything and every sentence was meticulously placed and written by the author to serve its purpose, and represent multiple perspectives on the Southern culture.Each character brings different aspects of human nature, self-pity, cynicism, conflicted feelings about order and disorder, purity and vengence etc. (sometimes reminded me of paychoanalytical structure of id, ego and superego) As much as I was annoyed in the beginning by the confusing streams of consciousness, in the end, I appreciated the author's choice as I understood how essential and central the subjective perceptions/experiences of time by the characters themselves are to the entire story. I am so glad that I can now say that "The Sound and the Fury" is an amazing and absorbing read for me! ... Read more

Product Description
Sound reinforcement is the use of audio amplification systems. This book is the first and only book of its kind to cover all aspects of designing and using such systems for public address and musical performance. The book features information on both the audio theory involved and the practical applications of that theory, explaining everything from microphones to loudspeakers. This revised edition features almost 40 new pages and is even easier to follow with the addition of an index and a simplified page and chapter numbering system. New topics covered include: MIDI, Synchronization, and an Appendix on Logarithms.416 Pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (59)

Great but a little deep for me....
I bought this and Live Sound Reinforcement on the same day. This book is well done but a lot of it went over my head. Reading Live Sound Reinforcement first made it easier to understand some of the material in this book.

This is the one you want.
I don't usually find the time to bother writing reviews, but this is a very good book.If you work with audio in a live or studio setting, you need this one.It's extremely thorough and well written, and there is a lot of technical depth if you want to go there.It's not up-to-the-minute current (you won't find much on digital mixers in here, for example), but just about everything it covers is still relevant.

Amazing must have reference book
This one is good for the studio peeps tooMusic Producers and Engineers Bible (1)

Simply the best resource you can have
I've read this book so many times that the binding has almost fallen apart. It is the best resource you can have for overall sound knowledge. If you have no prior experience this might not be the best starting point, It is quite technical and a novice would most likely find it as a hindrance rather than a help.

If your studing for an exam(VDV), this is another good book.
Once again, if your studing for the CA state VDV evam, this is another goob book to read . It handles all your sound reinforcement studies and questions. Impedance,microphones,speakers and cables for sound it's in here. highly,highly recommended. I only concentrated in this book and the BICSI cabling installers book, and I passed my exam, need I say more! ... Read more

Product Description
Praise for SOUND SLEEP, SOUND MIND

"If you are one of the 100 million Americans suffering from poor quality sleep, Sound Sleep, Sound Mind provides a refreshing look at getting to the real solutions for our sleep-deprived, over-caffeinated, over-medicated, over-stressed, and exhausted society. Look no further to find the ways to address the root causes of your sleep problems."
--Mark Hyman, MD, author of the New York Times bestseller, UltraMetabolism and editor in chief of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine

"An excellent book that won't put you to sleep until bedtime--Sound Sleep, Sound Mind convinced me how important sleep is to good health. This is a wonderful treatment that teaches you how to identify and cope with feelings and emotions--one of the best, long-term remedies for insomnia."?
--Leslie S. Greenberg, PhD, Professor of Psychology at York University and author of Emotion-Focused Therapy

"At last, a book that addresses all the elements of sleep disturbances: biological, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive. Sound Sleep, Sound Mind will bring relief to the millions suffering from insomnia and other sleep ailments."
--Kenneth L. Lichstein, PhD, Professor of Psychology at The University of Alabama and Director of the Sleep Research Project

Sound Sleep, Sound Mind is the first book of its kind to focus on all the causes--mental, emotional, and physical--that contribute to insomnia and poor sleep. Based on cutting-edge knowledge and research, this book explains why sleep problems are almost always a mind and body issue. It then guides you through the seven steps of Sleep Dynamic Therapy to identify and treat the specific problems that are at the root of your sleeplessness. You'll discover that the Sleep Dynamic Therapy program not only improves your sleep quality, but also enhances many other aspects of your mental and physical well-being.

Whether you currently take over-the-counter or prescription sleeping pills, suffer from chronic or occasional insomnia, or awaken without feeling refreshed and energized, Sound Sleep, Sound Mind will help you get the sleep you deserve. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Good for some.
I've read all of the many reviews entered as of 9/18/10.Two complain that they found the book boring and repetitious.That could be an advantage!An early and often overlooked study found made a discovery most books ignore.If people with insomnia sat up in bed to read, they went to sleep faster than if they "tried" to sleep.

Peter Hauri, probably many others and I found that if you told patients "try to sleep" they didn't.A recording of muscle tension indicated a reason.Their tension sharply increased.The "reading" treatment probably won't work well if the book is a page-turner.It's hardly helpful if the book you choose keeps you reading to the morning hours.

Over the quarter century that I worked with sleep disorders, I had good success using a variation of the reading approach with selected people.I told them to sit up and read a book on managing sleep.At least for those two reviewers, this book might work!

They would stop "trying" to sleep and either learn lots about sleep or would become drowsy and go to sleep as they read "sleep" "sleep."Their "boredom" may not be due to the book's writing, but to their sleepiness.(Since they bought the book, it seems likely that they had insomnia and daytime sleepiness.)

I found that one of the best-written treatments of sleep hygiene (Peter Hauri's) would drive sleepy people to sleep.I used that as one indicator of their sleepiness.It either informed them or demonstrated their severe sleepiness.That often showed they should have an over-night sleep study.

A treatment one especially popular reviewer liked contains a risk.If you get out of bed when you can't sleep and do something you enjoy, it may work well the first few times.Over the long run, however, you can train yourself to get out of bed!If you keep careful notes on your sleep and wakefulness, you can see the start of such a pattern.That may be soon enough to quit and use another treatment.

I believe it was the famous psychotherapist Milton Erickson who regularly advised patients to get out of bed to do what they'd put off and disliked.A sleepless night may be a good time to scrub the kitchen floor on your hands and knees.There are several reasons why that will work with some patients.

"Some patients" refers to an important point.There are over one hundred disorders of sleep.Properly accredited sleep centers in hospital settings should be able to deal with all of them.Failure to deal adequately with behavioral sleep problems is a fault of many.Some of the best (such as the facility at Stanford) will refer people with a behavioral sleep problem to a behavioral clinic with a good record of accomplishment in that area.(Some behavioral clinics have not had success.)

This book may be the best answer for those with a behavioral sleep problem.It covers useful behavioral techniques, some novel.If the book doesn't work, consultation with someone like the book's author might help.

Just going directly to a behavioral clinic will be a mistake for some patients.Sometimes neither they nor the behavioral clinic realizes their insomnia has a treatable physical cause. For them, it's safest to have an overnight, physiological sleep study.

Emphasis on the quality of sleep rather than the amount is generally good.I have one reservation.Some people using some sleeping pills will think they have had "the best sleep ever." Actually, they've been drugged.They can't evaluate the quality of sleep or its consequences for waking function.They're like the drunk who thinks he can drive or the actor who believes his best performance is under the influence of a drug.

Most books don't teach how to recognize such a situation. A skilled clinical interviewer like the author would probably recognize it.My book (in progress) teaches several self-evaluation strategies.Like the author's book, it also teaches some meditation techniques that are different from most.I'm sending out samples to those willing to comment honestly on them. The sample is adequate to start you with some self-evaluation methods I found useful. James Minard (minardjim@aol.com)

This is an essential tool for persons who do not enjoy refreshing sleep
Inadequate sleep is a poorly understood and often underestimated medical problem.This book helps us all analyzeunhealthy sleep patterns and identify ways to correct them.I found the content useful for both health professionals and the general public.I highly recommend it to persons with sleep problems and those trying to help them.

Best Book on Sleep!
If you are looking for help to understand your sleep problems or sleep disorder, this is the book for you.Dr. Krakow has done an amazing job of giving us all the information we need to understand what is causing the problem and how to begin the process of "fixing" it.Most books out there overgeneralize and don't really get into anything specific.Dr. Krakow's book is not like that.He has done an outstanding job, and done it with empathy you can feel as you read.If you get this book, you will definitely be on the way to getting the help you need.There's lots more help on his website, as well:[...]

Great Book, Changed my Life

I have had trouble sleeping for a number of years.I was introduced to this book and it has literally changed my life.I sleep better, have more understanding about the interplay between sound sleep and emotional health.Through his research and his own experience with sleep problems, Dr. Krakow, has taken a different approach, challenging the paradigm that sleep problems are an ancillary problem rather than a key indicator of the need to solve emotional and trouble thinking.Solve the sleep problems and PTSD and the emotional problems are also settled.I like the book and highly recommend it to anyone having sleep problems.A new paradigm with practical solutions to settling the mind, so the body can rest!

Well written, insightful, and full of great remedies for sleep disorders.
I've had terrible sleep disorders my entire life. Insomnia, RLS, and more. This book gave me great explanations and insight as to the cause of my sleep problems. Additionally, the book has provided drug-free remedies that actually work. I highly recommend this book - for those with sleep disorders and those without. ... Read more

Product Description
With sound becoming more important in cinema exhibitionand DVD release, Sound Design offers user-friendly knowledge andstimulating exercises to help compose a story, develop characters andcreate emotion through skillful creation of the soundtrack. Psychoacoustics, music theory, voice study and analysis ofwell-known films expand perception, imagination and the musical skillsof the reader.

Psychoacoustics, music theory, and voice study are covered through the detailed analysis of well-known films, to expand perception, imagination and the musical skills of the reader.

KEY FEATURES:
* Understand the importance and significance of the soundtrack
* Learn how to place a musical piece within a film
* Exercises included to improve story composition, and character development when creating/choosing a soundtrack ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Fantastic book, not to be missed!
If you want a book that combines practical and useful guidance when approaching sound design then this is it. Sonnenschien's informative and direct writing style makes it a 'can't put down' read. Basically - 'this is what to consider - then this is how to achieve it'. There is also an obvious love for the subject and that is inspirational.

I am studying for an Msc in advanced music production and I found this to be invaluable reference source and cannot recommend it enough.

A really useful student guide.
I found this book to be very useful in conjunction with Michel Chion's Audio Vision, in an aim to grasp the concept of Sound Design. Wether it be used for writing an essay, or aiding you in planning a practical piece of sound design, this book is useful for students and professionals alike.

A Highly Valuable Source of Information
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have taken lots of valuable information from it. Having never done any sound design work before, I found the techniques/suggestions for laying down the foundations of a sound design most useful - especially the visual maps and the "try this" sections are a great way to open up to the sonic realm. David Sonnenschein's background in psychology seems to reflect in his writing style, which gives the book a fresh spin on the whole concept of sound design.

An excellent book that should be part of every sound designer's collection.

The bible of the Sound Design
Great book for those who want to know a little more about this quite unknown universe of the sound professionals in the movie business. It reveals, directly, a lot of techniques that are valuable for those who are already in the business and also for those who just want to learn a little bit more about this branch. All of this is explained easily and with no secrets.

Idiotically Competent and Common Sensical
The first thing that struck me about the book was how far it veered off sound design right away into the depths of the human psyche, psychology, and aural dynamics.But isn't this exactly what the best movies speak to?This book won't teach you any topical audio crap that will be useless in 5 years, it hits at some of the deepest issues necessary to make truly creative and excellent films.Weird.Crazy.I love it. ... Read more

Product Description
A best-selling introduction to poetry for more than fifty years, PERRINE'S SOUND AND SENSE: AN INTRODUCTION TO POETRY succinctly covers the basics of poetry with detailed chapters on the elements of poetry, unique chapters on evaluating poetry, exemplary selections, and exercises and study questions that invite students into careful study. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson have assiduously continued the Perrine tradition over several recent editions. Every chapter introduction in this compact and concise anthology bears the mark of Laurence Perrine's crisp, clean, and descriptive prose, and every poem selected as an example is not only a perfect illustration of the concept at hand but also a remarkable work in its own right. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Not Perrine's Ninth Edition
Instead of Perrine's Ninth Edition in good condition, I received Perrine's Seventh Edition.To an English teacher needing an extra book for students to use in class, the edition very much matters.Not only are the poems on different pages, some poems are not in the Seventh Edition that are in the Ninth Edition.

sound and sense
I had an old paperback copy of this book while in college many many years ago.I had bought it used and it was pretty beat up, but I still read parts of it from time to time.I decided to get a hardback copy and was surprised to find it had been updated and re-issued 10 or 11 times since I graduated college.
I am very pleased with the updates and with my new copy.

Great
I'm an English Literature student and I bought this book for a poetry course. This book is so benificial! It is filled with so many famous poems and almost all of them are analysed acoording to their structure, themes, figures of speech... etc. The book provides explanations of all the figures of speech and stylistic devices that we use when analysing a poem.

I recommend this book for both Englsih Literature studeds and people who are interested in poetry.

Perriene's Sound and Sense
This book came to me in a short amount of time.It was also in perfect condition.Thanks.

Excellent for use with students
I am currently using this book with 11th grade English students, and they have been truly caught up in it. We are actually having arguments in class over poetry!! I do find, however, that it is helpful to do the chapter on rhythm and meter much earlier than I would if I were following the chapters in order. My experience is that students have a difficult time hearing the rhythm of poetry and are generally unable to read aloud with any success. Jumping ahead early to the chapter on rhythm and meter and having the students tap out the meters and then mark the scansion produces a wonderful improvement in their ability to hear the poems and read them aloud. I would heartily recommend this book for use in grades 11 and 12, and for college freshman. It makes the study of poetry hugely enjoyable, as it should be but rarely is, for both student and teacher. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (20)

More specs less techs
This book is very good and i do pick it up on a daily basis. There are some absolutely key pieces of advice in this book yet i found many redundant pieces of information like microphone specs and sound physics. Generally pieces of information that can be found in any audio book, which is why i found a good quarter of this book to be useless information that i already possess in several other audio books on my shelf.

Good Book for Beginners
Overall it s a good book and an easy read. This is def. more geared to folks starting out or looking to start are in the field of recording/design.

For me, the book really did not offer any really new or enlightening information, then again I am not just starting out or looking to.

If you are experienced you might want to look for another book, but if you are looking for a refresher, this book might be good for you.

All in all, the book, in my opinion, is good, not great, not excellent, but not poor or bad either!

Packed with great info
Great book. Gives you plenty of info on everything from how sound works, how to build a studio, reviews/advice on which gear to buy at different price points, how to create different sound effects and general tips and tricks of the trade. A great book to have and an easy read. If you're thinking of making a movie or going into the sound business Don't do Anything until you buy this book, or steal someone else's.

Awesome Book
Awesome... ear opening. Nothing else to say. A great buy if you are into sound design. Rightly named Sound Effects Bible. Ric Viers brings the word.

Well Worth Reading


What a great book! It makes a complex, technological subject not only comprehensible but entertaining to read. Where else would you find practical, detailed advice about how to design a Foley stage or how to create a vast range of effects including bubbles, sewer sounds, Ninja star throws, crickets, dust, elevator crashes, falling pianos, Molotov cocktails and vegetable abuse? Nowhere is where!Thorough, practical and clearly indispensable for everyone- amateur, student and pro- who needs to know more about the wonderful world of sound effects.
... Read more

Product Description
Designing Sound teaches students and professional sound designers to understand and create sound effects starting from nothing. Its thesis is that any sound can be generated from first principles, guided by analysis and synthesis. The text takes a practitioner's perspective, exploring the basic principles of making ordinary, everyday sounds using an easily accessed free software. Readers use the Pure Data (Pd) language to construct sound objects, which are more flexible and useful than recordings. Sound is considered as a process, rather than as data—an approach sometimes known as "procedural audio." Procedural sound is a living sound effect that can run as computer code and be changed in real time according to unpredictable events. Applications include video games, film, animation, and media in which sound is part of an interactive process.

The book takes a practical, systematic approach to the subject, teaching by example and providing background information that offers a firm theoretical context for its pragmatic stance. Many of the examples follow a pattern, beginning with a discussion of the nature and physics of a sound, proceeding through the development of models and the implementation of examples, to the final step of producing a Pure Data program for the desired sound. Different synthesis methods are discussed, analyzed, and refined throughout. After mastering the techniques presented in Designing Sound, students will be able to build their own sound objects for use in interactive applications and other projects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

If you want to create sounds from nothing, this is your book
I found this book in my quest to learn how to create sounds Ab Initio (from nothing but basic principles, not recorded samples).This is absolutely the right book for those interested in that area.This book is NOT for audio beginners. You will need to have a good grasp of basic digital audio concepts, understand frequency domain analysis concepts, a bit about DSP filters, have payed attention at those Physics classes and at least be familiar with some of the math.Andy tries to get away with not writing too many equations, but he still throws a differential equation on you to explain harmonic oscillators and some trigonometry when explaining modulation, for example.I have found nothing in its 600+ that I would remove or skip over. In fact, I just wish he had written 1,200 more pages!! There are four main sections in the book: Theory, Tools, Techniques and Practicals.Theory includes background information on acoustics, psychoacoustics, sound perception and digital signals. The Tools section will introduce you and get you productive using Pure Data, the free and deceptively simple looking visual sound programming software package used throughout the rest of the book.In Techniques you will get practical information on the various sound synthesis methods at your disposal, and the Practicals section has dozens of example uses of these techniques.You will, for example, learn how to create models for telephone bells, rolling objects, fire, running water, etc.

Like another reviewer said, you will not get every single detail of every single technique or theory in this book.You will get enough to get a good idea, good examples and excellent links in the reference sections so you can go wild and study any of the ideas in the book much further by yourself.

Some of the sample code links for the MIT Press version of the book are broken. I contacted Andy Farnell directly by email about this, and he was kind enough to point to his other website which does not have this problem . I hope the MIT Press folks fix this soon, but even with the broken links, the code is available in the website in text areas, so you can cut and paste it and save it in a file and it will work, but is more tedious.

I could not recommend this book anymore.It's a great introduction into a fascinating field. As a disclaimer, I am not an audio person, but a software engineer interested in audio with a bit of DSP background from school.I imagine audio professionals might have a different experience with the book, but I can't imagine anybody calling it anything but an excellent, epic work.

For the Serious Sound Designer
While not for a rank beginner, Andy Farnell's book is an excellent review of acoustical principles related to sound design. This book will be of interest to those who do sound design for film, gaming, and even experimental DJing, and could be used for an undergraduate course in a media studies program or in a beginning electronic music class.

To illustrate the principles needed for sound design and to conceptionalize the methods of realization of a particular sound emulation, Mr. Farnell utilizes an OpenSource programming language known as Pd (Pure Data). Designing Sound is an excellent introduction to Pd and demonstrates how basic physics principles can be turned into sonic entities.

Pd is a project related to programming sound in a similar sense that Processing is related to programming live graphics, and GEM is related to programming live video. Since all of these programming strategies are related, they can be used together (or separately) by artists with interest in live performance art or art installations.

Andy Farnell's book is well written and full of interesting problems. If you are looking for a book that will "hand hold" you through every problem you may be somewhat disappointed. On the other hand, if you are willing to use the excellent reference materials for further study, you will be rewarded. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

"Sound and Sense" for good cents
This is a terrific book for anyone writing poetry.Amazon made it available at a incredibly low price and it was delivered quickly and in good condition.

Bullseye
Where has this book been all my life?Perrine's Sound and Sense is not just about poetry, it's a thorough yet concise discussion of the English language and writing.Some reviewers have panned it for offering insight to poetry--they feel that poems should not be explained but should be experienced individually.For the uninitiated though, some direction is often desired.At times Perrine's does not offer enough explanation for me.Many of the notes on the poems offer only a smidgen of insight but do proffer several questions to generate thought and discussion.These questions do often provide clues to a poem's meaning.I'm still guessing about many of the poems, but at least now, I think I'm on the right track.

wonderful collection of poetry
This is a wonderful collection of poetry, no doubt. Offering various styles and poets, the poems in "Sound & Sense" are absolutely beautiful. I don't have much to say about the constant remarks by Perrine. Why? He makes this into an English textbook. But! - poetry is not like math. There is no step-by-step way to read or write poetry, and there is no RIGHT way to do so either. This book tries to lay it out too much. Yes, I see that is is an "introduction" to poetry, but a reader will fall into the idea that poetry can only be approached through the mathematical ways laid out in "Sound & Sense." After all, Robin Williams in "Dead Poets Society" (film) did ask all his students to rip out the introduction of an earlier version of "Sound & Sense." Why? Poetry should be read, and if you wish to analyze, there's no way to set about doing it.

But - the collection of poems is reason enough to buy the book.

Good for Its Purpose
The book is divided into chapters that each concentrate on one element of poetry such as tone or metaphor.Each chapter presents a few famous poems, comments about the topic, and some exercises to help you learn the topic.The book includes an extra helping of classic poetry at the end of the book.

Ninth Edition Available, Titled Perrine's Sound and Sense
This textbook stematically explores poetic form and structure. This approach could have been quite limiting, but Perrine manages to analyze poetry without undermining his central message: poetry is to beenjoyed.

I highly recommend this book to both readers new to poetry and those that already have considerable familiarity with the major poets.

A ninth edition is available, but with a title change. Sound and Sense is now Perrine's Sound and Sense.Look for more reviews under this new title (ISBN 0155030280). ... Read more

Product Description
A perfect introduction to the authentic sights and sounds of life on a farm.Hands-on learning:- Farm animal identification, with photographs and sounds- Facts about each farm animal's food, habitat and babies ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Great Book!
This is such a cute book! The animal sounds are great for younger kids, and the fold out pages about each animal are interesting for older ones. This is my grandson's favorite book!

Fun Interactive Book!
Thanks to other reviews on this book I went ahead and purchased it for my one year old son.He absolutely loves it!We read it over and over like a peek-a-boo book.As he gets older there are lots of fun animal facts to read.For now he adores looking at the pictures and hearing the animal sounds.The animal noises are very realistic and now my son imitates them all the time!Super cute book!

Super Fun Book for my 2 Year Old!
I got this for my 2 year old's birthday, who loves farm animals, and he won't put it down!I don't know about any issues with wear and tear, since we just got it, but he sure loves it right now and it works great!

This is a wonderful book for toddlers, preschool and older!
This is a great book. I bought it for my granddaughter who was turning 2. She loves animals, so I expected her to enjoy the pictures, rhyming questions of which animal it is, and the realistic animal noises. But, my grandson who was 4, enjoyed the other portion that gives facts about each animal. This is a great learning book that children enjoy. You can even use it to teach colors. I must have read this book 10 times to both kids the night they got it -- and it is now their favorite. My grandson likes to quiz other people about the animals. He is so proud when he can tell them the different names for a boy or girl horse or how much a cow drinks. I was so pleased that I have purchased another book for a friend. I have purchased a lot of books, but this is the first one I have taken the time to highly recommend.

Sounds on the Farm
This has been a childhood favorite for many years so I purchased another for another grandchild.He too loves it.I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (14)

the best!!
the best book on the history of sound recording one could ever hope to read or own.
great people stories. the technical explantions are such that I could almost understand most of them. impressively researched and written with subte flair. you could teach from this book and students would think you were a genius.

intermittently interesting history of sound recording
I found this history of sound recording a patchy affair. It is worth pointing out the following factors that might influence the potential purchaser. Firstly Greg Milner is an obvious vinyl and analog fan; he is quite dismissive of the digital era and spends many pages trying to prove his point. Secondly, if you are a classical or jazz music enthusiast, much of the lengthy discussion centred around rock music will be of little interest. Scant attention is given to later phases of orchestral recordings; surely a decent overview of the subject would have to cover this aspect in some detail.The fact that Milner omits any mention of the great John Culshaw/Decca or Mercury teams demonstrates a somewhat blinkered view of sound recording history. There is also scant mention of recent SACD technology, dubious as that might be.

The more interesting sections to my mind were those that cover the earlier recording eras, particularly the development of magnetic tape recording and multitracking. Milner's breezy writing is reasonable rather than brilliant. A definative history of this fascinating subject still remains to be written.

Disappointing technical errors
This book has some technical statements that are shockingly ignorant.

In describing the tape delay used by Sam Phillips, the author says (p. 151) "there was no tape in the second machine." Of course there was tape in the second machine. The delay is created when a signal is written on that tape by the record head and then read an instant later by the playback head.

google "tape delay" and read about how it works.

A second ignorant statement is also about tape recording. On p. 108 the author says "with tape recording ... there is no physical contact between the inscriber (the recording head) and the medium (the tape)." But of course there is physical contact. The tape rubs against the head.

With errors so glaring, my confidence in other statements is somewhat reduced.

A distorted look at fidelity
Parts of this history of recorded sound are fascinating; other parts become tedious. The title of Milner's book is misleading and explains some of my disappointment. This account is not a history of music recording; primarily it's a survey of the developments over the past fifty years in the recording of American pop music.

It's the omissions that irk me. Although he acknowledges recording's initial start in France, Milner really examines only American advances in equipment and recording techniques. Surely the British, the French, or the Germans (at least) contributed something to the challenges of transferring sound waves to a persistent medium, but you'll learn very little of their accomplishments from this book. Milner can, for example, spend several pages on the Beatles' innovative recordings without ever mentioning George Martin; Ricky is the only Martin who makes it into the book's index. What's with that?

Edison's goal, according to Milner, was to make an objectively accurate record of an individual performance. The through line of Perfecting Sound Forever follows the wandering path from that ideal to recent decades when a CD produces sounds that may never have had any prior physical existence at all. Organizing the book around such a notion requires Milner to virtually ignore classical music after Stokowski's recording of Fantasia (on page 71 of 371) and almost all of acoustic jazz. Fidelity may have vanished in the 1990's from certain types of pop music, but it's grossly over-simplified, even in the era of MP3s, to imply that fidelity has ceased to be a goal of digital recording in general.

Rating the book at two stars would be harsh, but I give it three only because, despite its shortcomings, I found some interesting content in most chapters.

some good, some not so good
Good on providing context and history for recorded sound. E.g. did you know that 33 and 45 rpm were competing standards? This book will tell you when and how. But deep understanding of sound quality generally remains just outside the material. E.g. what determines quality? How measured? How achieved?

Perhaps best appreciated as rock journalism, not audio engineering. ... Read more

Product Description
12 selections from the favorite musical. Includes: Climb Ev'ry Mountain * Do-Re-Mi * Edelweiss * Maria * My Favorite Things * Sixteen Going on Seventeen * The Sound of Music * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

No lyrics (why I ordered this book)!!!!
I can't believe this book doesn't include the lyrics, the main reason I ordered it.Instead, it contains easy-to-intermediate piano solos.I know the description says piano solos, but they could have at least included the lyrics as reference.Don't buy this book if you plan on playing the piano and singing along to these great songs.

Sound of Music Piano Duets Late Intermediate
This music is definitely not for "late intermediate" piano players---it is closer to beginner and should be listed as such.

NOT as advertised!
The Look Inside shows lyrics and easy piano arrangements --exactly what we wanted.What arrived has NO lyrics and more difficult piano--not what we wanted.We would not have ordered it if the Look Inside had been accurate.We will not be ordering any more sheet music from Amazon.

The Sound of Music song and piano book
It is so great to have the piano music and words to all my favorite selections.I enjoy using the book to sing
along with the cd, too.

A Slightly Different Version Than Shown
I recently purchased a "collector's" version of this music.The version that I purchased is very nice and was published in 2001 with the binding which allows the book to be opened fully while on the piano.The supplier did everything correctly and I am quite pleased with the product and the service. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether you run sound for a high-energy rock band, mix acoustic performers in a small nightclub, or simply want to understand how to set up the PA in your house of worship, this is the guide for you! In a one-of-a-kind combined package, this amazingly comprehensive book and DVD guide you through the ins and outs of sound system components, setups, mixing, and troubleshooting, as well as principles and concepts fundamental to live sound reinforcement. It is packed with the easy-to-understand, practical information you need to operate your PA system with professional skill and expertise! The instructional DVD provides nearly three hours of unprecedented production quality and detailed graphics in the form of hands-on demonstrations, tips and techniques used in real-world live sound situations from indoor venues to outdoor stages. Listen and learn as reinforcement experts share their experiences and provide you with tips and tricks that will take you from beginner to pro in no time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

The ultimate book for sound reinforcement
This is the Bible of live sound reinforcement. It covers every aspect of sound, from physics to mixers and outboard gear. Shame it's not suitable for touring, because it's a bit heavy and big.
Each topic is deeply explained with easy-to-understand texts and many draws and pictures. I found these draws to be the best part of this book, they really complement the texts and help the reader spell out the ideas. The DVD is not as high level as the book itself. It covers topics that are better understood with movies, like mikes placement and FOH positioning. It's 3 hour long, so it covers many topics. Finally, seems the DVD was produced to help starter engineers, the opposite of the book.Great book and nice DVD.

Great book, not to deep...
I bought this and The Sound Reinforcement Handbook (Yamaha Products)on the same day. This book goes over the same material but it's an eaisier read. More for the DJ - KJ - Home person. Very well done.

Solid Info
Good information. A little on the technical side. But that's what I was looking for.

A to Z
Awesome reference book. Covers everything from single acoustic set ups to full blown concert settings. All the basics and complexitys of sound reinforcement are in this book. Easy to read and very insightfull. A MUST have if you are considering building,running or setting up a system of any size. If you have a question or problem concerning sound....the answers are here.

Live SR - Scott Stark
9th Printing 2004.

Very comprehensive tome. Style is conversational and handles difficult-to-understand concepts such as decibel structure well.

Would have liked to see topics such as channel assignment and power
considerations, balancing, etc., handled.

The usual raft of diagrams,graphs etc., explain the text adequately.

... Read more

Product Description
The text of this Norton Critical Edition is that of the corrected edition scrupulously prepared by Noel Polk, whose textual note precedes the text. David Minter’s annotations are designed to assist the reader with obscure words and allusions."Backgrounds" begins with the appendix Faulkner wrote in 1945 and sometimes referred to as another telling of The Sound and the Fury and includes a selection of Faulkner’s letters, excerpts from two Faulkner interviews, a memoir by Faulknerís friend Ben Wasson, and both versions of Faulkner's 1933 introduction to the novel. "Cultural and Historical Contexts" presents four different perspectives on the place of the American South in history. Taken together, these works—by C. Vann Woodward, Richard H. King, Carolyn Porter, and Robert Penn Warren—provide the reader with valuable contexts for understanding the novel. "Criticism" includes seventeen essays on The Sound and the Fury that collectively trace changes in the way we have viewed this novel over the last four decades. The critics are Jean-Paul Sartre, Irving Howe, Ralph Ellison, Olga W. Vickery, Cleanth Brooks, Michael Millgate, John T. Irwin, Myra Jehlen, Donald M. Kartiganer, David Minter, Warwick Wadlington, John T. Matthews, Thadious M. Davis, Wesley Morris and Barbara Alverson Morris, Minrose C. Gwin, André Bleikasten, and Philip M. Weinstein. A revised Selected Bibliography is also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Hymn of Praise
This review is for the Norton Critical edition of The Sound and the Fury. These reviews sometimes get attached to various editions so I wanted to make that clear. This review will probably be quite long. This review will also probably be quite boring, which goes along with its inordinate length. For those who are not interested in reading a long, boring review I will preface my review with a brief, one paragraph summary of my review. If anyone is still interested in my longer review they can go on from there.

The Sound and the Fury is both tragic and beautiful; it deals with human loss and the various ways in which human beings attempt to deal with that loss. The style of Faulkner's writing is utterly hypnotic. Faulkner is able to create a fully sensory world (as opposed to a merely pictorial, or visual world). When you are reading it is less like watching a movie and far more like being in a dream. Faulkner is also able to plumb the very depths of the human heart, to illuminate both its momentary joys and its despair. The characters are so full, and utterly human, even, paradoxically, when they are at their most inhuman, we cannot help but relate to them (even Jason in his cruelty). The themes that are explored in this novel are multifarious and profound and do not allow themselves to be easily summed up. The novel is certainly difficult, but it repays the effort that it requires of the reader at least a hundred fold. The essays at the end of the Norton Critical edition are all excellent and extremely helpful at illuminating the themes of Faulkner's novel. I would definitely suggest that anyone who is genuinely interested in this book purchase the Norton Critical edition. To put it simply: buy this book!

Now on to the longer review. The first section is about the story, Faulkner's method of telling the story, and some of the themes of the story. The second section is about Faulkner's writing and its hypnotic powers.

I.

The Sound and the Fury is a novel about the Compson family. The center of the story revolves around the daughter of the family (Caddy) who gets pregnant out of wedlock, quickly finds a husband, and moves away; but as Jean-Paul Sartre observes in his critical essay the novel is not really about `plot' in the ordinary sense. The fact is that almost all of the `plot' of the novel is already in the past. Caddy's desertion of the family is already in the distant past when the novel begins. The novel is really about Caddy's three brothers (Benjy, Quentin, and Jason) and how they each deal with the loss of Caddy and the destruction left in her wake.

The novel is broken into four separate sections. The first three sections are told in a modernist, first-person, stream of consciousness style; each section being told from the standpoint of one of the three brothers. Only in the fourth section does Faulkner himself take over as narrator when he turns his attention on Dilsey the African American servant who lives and works for the Compsons and who has been largely responsible for raising all four children.

Many people are turned off by the first-person stream of consciousness style, finding it to be `difficult', but I don't think this novel could really have been written in any other way; and that is because, as Olga W. Vickery in her essay `The Sound and the Fury: A Study in Perspective' writes, "The consciousness of a character becomes the actual agent illuminating and being illuminated by the central situation...there is no development of either character or plot in the traditional manner" (pg. 279). The central focus of the story is not on the action but on the consciousness of the characters and their reactions to the action, the way that they internalize the action. Each character reacts differently to the central story and their reactions reveal as much about the characters themselves as they do about the action of the story.

The first-person style has some advantages as well for this particular story. It allows Faulkner to reveal the story slowly, and in pieces. I do not want to give the entire story away so I will not summarize it here but if the story had simply been told in a straight-forward narrative fashion it would have been almost completely lacking in dramatic tension and resolution. Taking the first-person perspective allows Faulkner to reveal the story in pieces, like providing individual pieces to a puzzle but out of order, so that the reader is only able to discern the whole picture at the end. This leads to some confusion on the readers part, especially in the beginning, but it also fuels the reader's desire to keep reading.

The first-person style also allows Faulkner to create a much fuller, almost visceral, experience in the reader as opposed to a mere visual representation. We are not simply told how the characters feel from a third person, objective perspective, we actually experience how they feel as we hear their thoughts spinning around in their heads. Quentin's obsession with Caddy, for instance, is not described in a third-person fashion. Faulkner as narrator does not state, "Quentin obsessed over Caddy"; nor does Quentin himself adopt the third-person standpoint in describing his own experience; he does not say, "I was obsessing over Caddy". Rather, we simply hear Quentin's obsessive thoughts about Caddy as they play out in his own fevered consciousness.

Faulkner's writing provides a genuine phenomenological description of each individual characters experience and world. It is clear that the three brothers live in entirely different worlds. Benjy's world is aptly described by Cleanth Brooks as a "confused, blooming buzz" (pg. 290). Quentin's world on the other hand is dreamlike, suffused with light and shadows, and dominated by the image of water; there is no solidity in his world. Jason's world is really the polar opposite of Quentin's. It is entirely matter of fact, dominated by money, practical considerations, and entirely suffused with his own rage and despair.

As many of the critical essays point out the style of the novel is also central to many of its themes. The central theme of Faulkner's novel I believe is the meaning of time, or, to use an overused phrase, the meaning of life. Normally I would not describe a novel's theme as being 'the meaning of life', which is so broad as to be almost empty of meaning, and which could be applied equally to just about every novel or to none; but in this case I think it is actually appropriate. The question is suggested by the title of the novel itself. Does time, and human life, have some transcendent meaning or purpose (Dilsey's beginning and end of time)? Or is it merely a sound and a fury signifying nothing? Is all order merely imposed? The style reflects this theme by refusing to present what in post-modernist lingo might be called a meta-narrative; a narrative that would unify each conflicting perspective and get at `the truth'. Faulkner never presents such a meta-narrative, and thereby refuses to answer the central problem posed by the title of the novel. In this regard Faulkner follows Chekhov who wrote that the task of the artist was not to solve a problem but simply to state it correctly.

A final benefit of the first-person narrative style adopted through most of the novel is that it allows Faulkner to describe the experiences of his characters in minute detail, and to provide details of their experience that are often unimportant from the standpoint of plot. In the middle of an extremely emotional discussion between Quentin and Caddy about Caddy's love for Dalton Ames (told from the point of view of Quentin) Faulkner writes, "when I lifted my hand I could still feel crisscrossed twigs and grass burning into the palm" (pg. 95). Needless to say this little detail is entirely irrelevant to the plot but it creates a kind of thrill of recognition for everyone who has ever had a similar sensation when lifting their hand up from the grass (which should be almost everyone); and it is another example of Faulkner's ability to provide a fully sensory world.

II.

Faulkner's writing style is utterly hypnotic. Much of Faulkner's writing does not make literal sense, which I think frustrates some readers and is a source of some of the `difficulty' of the novel. But the difficulty only arises from the demand for a literal picture.

In Benjy's section, for example, the characters are looking at the bones of their old dog which are lying in a ditch and Faulkner writes, "The ditch came up out of the buzzing grass. The bones rounded out of the black vines" (pg. 23). These two sentences do not make literal sense. Ditches cannot "come up" out of the grass and grass does not "buzz". Similarly Faulkner's description of the bones "rounding out" of the black vines almost gives us the sense that the bones are alive. Faulkner often uses verbs to describe inanimate objects. But if we give up the demand that everything we read should make literal sense we cannot fail to appreciate the beauty of Faulkner's language, or his ability to create a fully sensory world. Who among us has not been out on a hot, sunny summer day and felt the grass "buzzing"?

Another example of Faulkner's ability to use language to evoke the emotional, as well as the literal, aspects of a scene is Quentin's description of his shadow on the water. Faulkner writes, "It twinkled and glinted, like breathing, the float slow like breathing too, and debris half submerged, healing out to the sea and the caverns and the grottoes of the sea" (pg. 57). What possible literal sense can we ascribe to the phrase "healing out to the sea"? The answer is none; and yet we cannot fail to feel the evocative power of the phrase and its relation to Quentin's troubled consciousness.

One final example of Faulkner's ability to create a fully sensory world should suffice. Quentin, on the night that Caddy loses her virginity, runs out of the house in distress and, as Faulkner describes it, "in the gray darkness it smelled of rain and all flower scents the damp warm air released and crickets sawing away in the grass pacing me with a small travelling island of silence" (pg. 94). In reading this passage we do not merely see Quentin running, we smell the rain and the flower scents that have been released by the damp warm air, and we hear the crickets sawing away. We are not watching a movie, we are in a dream.

III.

In conclusion I would simply say there is no other novel quite like The Sound and the Fury.Andre Bleikasten in his essay "The Quest for Eurydice" writes, "with The Sound and the Fury he [Faulkner] came to realize that, far from being the mere expression or reflection of prior experience, writing could be in itself an experience in the fullest sense" (pg. 414). I would say the same thing about reading The Sound and the Fury. Reading The Sound and the Fury is not merely a repetition, or a representation, of an experience; it is an experience in its own right, and it is is one that is well worth having.

-Brian

Worth the hype
Quite good overall, despite a long opening that's intentionally alienating and disjointing. I've previously hear of Faulkner mostly through his legendarily ornate and drawn out prose, but I found that much less alienating than I was expecting. It's slow, grim, features largely unsympathetic characters and on a sentence to sentence level I did find the prose less than fully compelling. Yet, once I struggled in past the first fifty pages I found it quite engaging and interesting. There's a type of momentum inscribed in it that made it very compelling to follow through, a way the character viewpoints and their myriad failings became fascianting to follow through.

It was kind of a strange experience, and helped break down some preconceptions I had about the "Great Literature". I expect to find this kind of effect--not loving any single part of a book but feel compelled to keep going by the sheer energy of the pace and je ne sais quoi readability--in things trashier or "lower brow". Stephen King practically defines this element for me--in his good stuff there's still lots of plot holes and problems in characterization that I would rip apart in isolation, but while reading I have no desire to do anything but keep going through to follow up on what happens. It's not exactly the same effect here with Faulkner, but somehow it's not entirely dissimilar--amidst a dense and often confusing process of bitter character conflicts it made a very intense experience that ultimately qualified as a page turner.

One element the story benefited from was its ruthlessness, the way it put on the consquences to its relationships, characters and larger society of existential dysfunctions. It benefits from being intimate but also unsympathetic to its cast, giving a sort of tragic fallout that feels cold and yet not sadistic by the author. For all that the story was hardly perfect--the sort of Stylistic Suck of the opening ninety pages clearly played a point yet seemed to outrun its purpose, and I found the ending drifted away from my investment in the situation. Nevertheless, it stands as a major creative accomplishment on Faulkner's part.

As for the larger insights gained from the work--I'm not entirely sure how much that's new and in depth there is. The corrosive environment of racism over multiple generations, the way idealistic naivete and brutal realism both prove unworkable, the slow decline of physical position subsequent to lose of grandeur and belief in oneself. Fairly interesting concepts but not breathtakingly new, and I think most of any specific theme I've seen done more effectively elsewhere. In terms of the book teaching anything substantially new about the human condition or its specific faded American south embodiment I can't commit to that, but it's a text that I'll need to think through, cross-examine and possibly reread at some point before I'll come to a sweeping judgement. It does make me interested in reading more of Faulkner's other works, and gives a bit of renewed appreciation for the value of some of the 'great Western canon' which after Jane Eyre and Moby Dick was flagging a little.

Similar to and better than: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Similar to and worse than: Beloved by Toni Morrison

"The Sound and the Fury"
I really enjoyed "The Sound and the Fury." Faulkner always impresses me with his skills in speech and his ability to change his style to fit a character's personality or mental state, even when it involves a lot of jumping around from time to time. I also enjoyed how this book fits with "Absalom, Absalom!"-- how some of the characters are filled out between the two books and one gets to see what happens to them before and after each of the books.

Form fits meaning
With concrete poetry, or "shape poems," the form fits the meaning. In other words, the look of the poem tells you something about the poem's intended meaning.

Similarly, in the classic, The Sound and the Fury, Faulkner artfully uses the novel's form to deepen the meaning of the whole story. The story follows Benjy Compson, a boy/man with severe cognitive impairments, and his family. By reading the story through his disjointed voice first, the reader feels a bit lost just as Benjy feels amongst the confusing existence that is his family. In piecing together the Compson tragedy, the reader recognizes the complexity of their situation and the convoluted helplessness of everything. Powerful symbolism emerges, like the muddying of Caddy's underwear in connection to her future scandals.

Absolutely brilliant. This is one of those books that humbles you if you ever wish to write a book: How can one possibly compare? But at the same time, Faulkner himself admitted that his narrative could not fully capture his meaning. Once again, words fail to suffice but yet stand as the necessary compromise when something is still needed to allow for expression.


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The Sound and the Fury Review
reasonably timed delivery, didnt know just how used the product really was (not that i care, it just would have been nice to know about all the mark-ups) ... Read more

Product Description
Most speech-language pathologists will, at one time or another, experience the frustration that often accompanies attempts to elicit new speech sound behaviors in their clients. This is especially true when a client does not have a target sound in his or her response repertoire.Eliciting Sounds: Techniques and Strategies for Clinicians is a quick, easy-to-use compendium of techniques for immediately evoking any phoneme targeted for remediation. This new edition of the classic resource continues to provide the most clinically relevant information in a compact, accessible format. No clinical speech-language pathologist should be without Eliciting Sounds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

!!!!
This book matched the descripting very well.The book was shipped in a timely manner.

Book
Quick delivery and exactly what i was looking for.It was a gift for a Speech Language Pathologist Grad Student, and she loved it.

very helpful and user friendly
I work with graduate students. this book helps them learn a number of techniques they can use with their clients.

Great Book!
This is a very useful book with many different descriptive ideas on how to teach clients different articulations!

Excellent service!
Very happy with seller's service.I received the book earlier than the stated date, in mint condition, and it was exactly the book I needed.Glad that the seller has a photo of cover, it is very helpful when you are looking for certain editions to ensure you are looking at the correct one.Would purchase from seller again! ... Read more

Product Description
There is more to listening than just hearing.
 
A miraculous process that begins in the womb, learning to communicate is a vital part of expressing oneself and of understanding and interacting with the world. A child’s ability to listen well affects every aspect of his or her life. But for some 1.5 million children in the United States who have normal hearing and intelligence, communication and language are blocked. Words are jumbled and distorted. These children have a hard time following directions and become frustrated in trying to make themselves understood, which often leads to unruly behavior, poor school performance, social isolation, and low self-esteem.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) affects the brain’s ability to accurately process the sounds of speech, which in turn impedes the ability to communicate. Experts are just beginning to unlock the mystery of this confounding condition. As a result, APD is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. But hope is here. Now veteran speech-language pathologist Lois Kam Heymann offers the first practical guide to help parents dramatically improve the listening and language skills of their children, whether they have a diagnosed auditory processing disorder, slow language development—or simply need practice listening. Inside this reassuring, action-oriented book you’ll find
 
• easy-to-identify milestones to help parents pinpoint challenges that may arise during each stage of their child’s development from birth to age eight
• the tools and checklists needed to assist parents in recognizing APD early
• tips to distinguish APD from other listening/learning disorders, including ADD, ADHD, LPD, and PDD
• methods to encourage a child’s natural listening abilities through books, stories, nursery rhymes, songs, lullabies, toys, and games
• home techniques to hone a child’s auditory processing—whether he or she has severe APD limitations or just needs to build listening “muscles”
• specific suggestions on how to improve a child’s listening skills outside the home—at school, during after-school activities, even when at a restaurant
• an analysis of traditional classroom settings and effective ways parents can advocate for better sound quality
• guidelines for finding the right professionals to work with your child
 
With hands-on ways for improving a child’s ability to listen to instructions, process information, and follow directions, parents can turn simple activities into powerful listening lessons in only minutes a day. The bottom line: Learning how to listen in our noisy, complicated world is the key to a happy and engaged child. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

The Sound of Hope
I got this book for my daughter in law who is in nurse practitioner school and my granddaughter was showing slight symptoms of an auditory problem.She found this very helpful for understanding the problem and said she will be able to use this as a reference for classes she is taking.All in all a very informative book.

A simplistic description of APD
This is a good first book if your child has already been diagnosed with APD.All her ideas for helping with APD deal with children ages 6 and under (rhymes, songs, etc).She also points out that APD can't be diagnosed before age 7.Rosie O'Donnel's description of the problem is the best part of the book.The author totally ignores the major treatments for APD--the computer based programs Earobics [...] for $70 and Fast4Word ($1000).Her ideas might work if the child is diagnosed early (but it can't be diagnosed before age 7 according to the author).Nursery rhymes will not help an older child.This is a simple to read book that describes how a child learns to use language.It does NOT give information about how to treat or how to accommodate someone with APD.

Excellent guide for parents
"Sound of Hope" actually brought much more than hope to us. This book is extremely informative and very clear. There are innumerable and practical ideas in there. And it's most encouraging to parents. It is a clear guide on how to bring out the best in our children, and gets you on the tracks toward success.



We personally had the special privilege to work with the respectful author Lois Heymann. She guided us on how to teach our child. She is one of a kind expert in teaching, listening skills, expansion of language and vocabulary as well as speech. Being sparked with enthusiasm, Lois knows how to keep children well motivated in therapy.



We've given "Sound of Hope" to all that are working with our child. They were very grateful. Besides all knowledge gained from the book, they found many ideas that they are implementing while working with our child.

Getting help for APD through the school system
I looked forward to this book coming out.My daughter, who is now 17, was diagnosed in 6th grade with APD.Through the years I have had to FIGHT for the small accommodations she was given.I have paid countless tutors to help her get through school.I have never shown her her scores from her evaluations, because I think they would have hurt her.

I wish this book had gone into how to get the school system to give your child the help they need.The children who fall in the grey area are the ones that are lost.Unfortunately, the book did not help.I really feel the kids with APD are those that are left behind.

Auditory Processing Disorders
I am so grateful for this book.I am grateful for Rosie to tell Blake's story troubles and triumphs throughout this book.My son had otitis effusions in his ears for a long time.I didn't really notice it until his speech was somewhat delayed.He never had ear infections.It has been a journey just to correct this, but now I am questioning a possible form of APD.He does well on many levels but I am not sure he gets language and how to use it all the time.He is about to enter school, and APD can't be fully diagnosed until a later age.I am not going to wait until then before trying to figure out how I might help him.This book has really given me some hands on steps that I can work with my son
to develop better listening skills even if he turns out not to have APD.This book was easy to understand but very detailed.I thought the author did a excellant job explaining APD so that teachers and other care providers can get it.I am now preparing to enter my son in 4K school and this book will really help me to ffigure out how to best help him.I highly recommend this book to all parents, teachers, and school administration.

I would also recommend the mislabeled child.This book was also a lifesaver for me.Read it!! ... Read more

Product Description
Sound Check is a simplified guide to what can be a tricky subject: getting good sound. Starting with an easy-to-understand explanation of the principles and physics of sound, Sound Check goes on to cover amplifiers, speaker hookup, matching speakers with amps, sound reinforcement, mixers, monitor systems, grounding, and more. Includes many diagrams, lots of illustrations, and a glossary of audio terms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great for Beginners
Information contained in the first few chapters is a very good explination of the principles of sound reinforcement. I would highly recommend it for beginners.

Good introduction to doing live sound - not deeply technical or too long
I found this to be a good introduction to doing live sound for folks who have some interest and aptitude.It's not deeply technical, and it doesn't take that long to read/study.I think most audio novices who have the inclination to do any reading on the subject will appreciate this book.I only read it once several months ago, but I would have appreciated this back when I started.

Disappointed
The author of this book needs to take a basic writing class before writing any more books. He forgets to define sound terminology, expecting the reader to understand phrases like "colored signal", etc. although I did appreciate the somewhat incomplete glossary at the back of the book. He also has a hard time teaching many of the concepts. Many of the charts I found very labor intensive and confusing. Who proofread this book any way? I admit I did learn a fair amount. Maybe many of the concepts have to be experienced to be understood and if so, it's not the author's fault.

Excellent Book for Beginners
I really liked Sound Check because it's easy to understand, fun to read, and it answered all my "beginner" questions. I thought that I should start out at a higher level book, like Yamaha Guide to Sound Systems, but I was wrong. I'm an aerospace engineer, lawyer, and I ran an electronics manufacturing company, but Sound Check was the best starting point for me; I wish that I had this book many years ago.It would have saved me a lot of trouble.It is a practical book that I have recommended to all my employees who work with sound systems.

Over simplified
This book should only be read by the most novice of aspiring sound personele, at best. Some areas are terribly missleading and, at times, will leave out profound information that will simply get you in trouble. The saying, "I know just enough to be dangerous" is just the feeling I get from this book. It will leave the reader with a false self confidence of professional audio that, when given the opportunity, may land them in over thier heads or achieving undesirable results. For a quality start, check out Yamaha's Sound Reinforcement book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (12)

yet another great story
All authors have some skills and some authors have all skills. Wilbur Smith certainly falls into the latter catagory. Every time I read one of his books I am amazed at his ability to balance the story with just enough historical info to entertain without boring. He makes the unbelieveable, believable, whileadding new twists and turns to the plot throughout the book. The Sound of Thunder is fairly straight forward by Smith standards but carries along at a lively pace. A great read in my opinion.

marvelous
Oh, how I loved this book.But you really should read "When the Lion Feeds" first.This is the second in a series.I have recently discovered Wilbur Smith when a friend gave me "Monsoon".Since reading "Monsoon" I can't get enough of Mr. Smith's books.I never dreamed that books about Africa would enthrall me so much, but the characters are so well developed, plots full of adventure, romance, intrigue and treachery.What's not to love?I don't want to give any of the story away, but Sean Courtney is such a likable main character that's impossible to get too much.Even though he's marvelous, Mr. smith makes him very human, with shortcomings as well as virtues.And as a plus I am learning so much about the history of Africa, its trials and tribulations.For a really good read, lose yourself in a Wilber Smith book...you won't regret it!

Smith is the best
Smith is one of the best story tellers I have ever read.He spans not only the continent of Africa but time itself.I rank him in the top five story tellers of the age.Thanks Wilbur and keep them coming!!

Simply the best
I read a lot and came across Wilbur Smith when my next door neighbor kept speaking of him. My ideas of African adventure were far removed from what Smith writes about.If you like DeMille, Flynn, Shaara, and the like you will love Smith.The back cover of his books says it the best."Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared."Just make sure you read these in order or you will be lost, only sad when the set comes to end.

Histoy Made Interesting
Don't mistake the Courtney series for a history lesson, but it's a close second for an interesting overview.Just returned from a trip to Africa and this author was recommended by people we met in South Africa.The characters are engaging and the descriptions of the bush and the camps are wonderful.Smith has a reputation for diligent research wrapped into a good story. ... Read more